In today’s Dub Hub:
- Kent Lacob, son of owner Joe Lacob, is reportedly stepping away from the Warriors, according to The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson.
- Warriors’ group play schedule for the Emirates NBA Cup revealed.
- Nets’ Michael Porter Jr. discusses the implications of sports gambling during an appearance on the One Night with Steiny podcast.
Kent Lacob, the son of Golden State Warriors majority owner Joe Lacob, is reportedly leaving the franchise to forge his own path. In his latest article, The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson detailed the decision by Lacob while noting there’s no family drama behind the move.
Caught off guard, stunned by the revelation just before June’s NBA Draft, Joe Lacob took a moment. He stared at his boy, processed the news, then uttered his initial response.
“Well,” he said, “that took some balls.”
Nothing is wrong. Nothing happened. Kent is adamant his departure isn’t rooted in family drama. The opposite, he assures. He loves this so much. Basketball. The Warriors. The family pride. The pressure to maintain the standard of excellence they’ve built.
Lacob most recently served as the Warriors’ Vice President of Basketball Development and was general manager of the Santa Cruz Warriors from 2016 to 2019. But at 32, he seems ready to create his own opportunities outside the shadow of his father’s legacy.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Monday, August 13th:
Warriors News:
Joe Lacob’s son leaving ‘comfortable’ life in Warriors front office after a decade. But why? | The Athletic
Always competing with the privilege, though, is a tugging at his core. The part of him that’s fully aware that every door he walks through is already open. His quiet disdain for the nepotism charges he can never shake, no matter how hard he works. Kent is a basketball nut who sometimes can’t believe the dream he’s living, working in the front office of the NBA. But even the glow of the Warriors can’t rid the shadow of his father’s enormity.
It’s what convinced him he must leave it.
Warriors’ schedule for the Emirates NBA Cup
The Jonathan Kuminga-Warriors staring contest continues: Who will blink first? | The San Francisco Standard
Kuminga has reason to believe he’ll eventually ink a contract that will create generational wealth, so the specific starting number likely isn’t a major sticking point. What Kuminga values is a commitment from the Warriors (or whichever team he suits up for); a consistent, featured role; and a sense that he controls his own destiny.
Looking at it through that lens, the Warriors’ offer doesn’t make much sense for Kuminga’s camp.
There IS August activity in the NBA … if you know where to look | The Stein Line
Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga was on the Democratic Republic of Congo’s preliminary roster for the tournament but, as I reported on multiple occasions recently, was never really a candidate to play for his national team this summer given the ongoing uncertainty he faces stemming from Kuminga’s contract stalemate with Golden State.
Kevin Durant badly wanted Steph Curry to win 2018 NBA Finals MVP, per ex-player | NBC Sports Bay Area
“When we were in Houston and Toyota Center’s going crazy, and they just made a 9-0 run and we needed a bucket, we’re going to Kevin every single time,” Cook said on “The Player’s Choice” podcast. “And to be honest, Kevin wanted Steph to get that Finals MVP the next year so bad. That’s all he was talking about all season, like I can’t wait until Steph gets his Finals MVP so he can shut up everybody, the naysayers.
“But I think in Game 2 [of the Finals], that’s when Steph broke the record, he had nine 3s. And then Game 3, we were struggling, Steph was struggling, and Kevin just accidentally walked into 40 [points]. And then you just look at the numbers statistically, I think Kevin had a triple-double in Game 4. He wasn’t even as aggressive; that’s just how good he is. He just accidentally got the Finals MVP back-to-back.”
NBA News:
2025-26 Opening Night, Christmas Day and MLK Day schedules unveiled | NBA
As announced on “The TODAY Show,” the 80th NBA season tips off on Oct. 21 on NBC in the same place last season ended – Oklahoma City – as reigning Kia MVP and NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder raise the 2024-25 championship banner and receive their championship rings before hosting Kevin Durant and the new-look Rockets.
The Opening Night doubleheader — featuring the NBA on NBC for the first time in more than two decades — concludes with the latest chapter in the LeBron James-Stephen Curry rivalry as the two icons meet for the 57th time in their careers.
Sources: Wyc Grousbeck won’t remain Celtics governor as part of sale | ESPN
The change in structure was due to league rules, including minimum ownership, sources said. Grousbeck will end up owning slightly less than the required 15% given final funding for the transaction.
Operations of the team should remain consistent, with Brad Stevens and Rich Gotham continuing to run basketball and business operations, respectively.
Michael Porter Jr. gives his take on sports gambling in the NBA
In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:
Warriors report: Jonathan Kuminga prefers qualifying offer to 1+1
The qualifying offer would result in an odd situation for the Warriors. On the one hand, it would allow them to retain the athletic young lottery pick for a far more affordable rate than they initially expected. On the other hand, a one-year deal all but guarantees that the 2025-26 season would be Kuminga’s final one in a Warriors jersey, and also would diminish his value at the trade deadline.
Follow @unstoppablebaby on Twitter for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.
