Warriors’ Buddy Hield Experience a historic ride unlike any other originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The ballad of Buddy Hield has produced smiles, laughs, celebrations and moments of pure confusion throughout his first year in a Warriors jersey, leading to more history made by the 3-point specialist on the second-to-last game of the 2024-25 NBA regular season Friday night in Golden State’s blowout road win against the Portland Trail Blazers.
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There have been stretches of perfect jazz in unison, and instances of wind strings snapping in your eardrums.
Earlier this week, Hield went viral for a funny exchange with coach Steve Kerr during the Warriors’ dominant win in Phoenix where Kerr jokingly introduced him to Steph Curry, “the greatest shooter in the world,” who was “wide open” but clearly not in Hield’s view.
He’s one of Kerr’s favorite players. Ask him about Hield and you’ll get a joyous laugh. You’ll also get some instances of him likely wanting to break a clipboard, and not because of stretches where his shot went ice-cold.
The next day when the Warriors returned home to play the San Antonio Spurs, Hield further explained the clip to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke after his pregame shooting routine.
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“You know, the NBA didn’t play the whole video,” Hield said. “I was like, I got a strap on me too, Steve. I can shoot, too. But I think Steph was wide-open late and I didn’t see him wide-open late, so you got to pass Steph the ball. It was a funny interaction with us.”
That strap was unleashed Friday night at Moda Center while the rest of the Warriors mostly brought blanks to the arena. The Warriors missed their first five 3-point attempts before Moses Moody broke the streak with six-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first quarter. Hield didn’t connect on his first two tries, but the third time was the charm and unlocked his historically consistent rangefinder from long distance.
Hield came into the day with 197 threes on the season, eyeing that 200 mark with only two games left in the regular season. After watching one three go through the net in the first quarter, two others followed in the final minute and a half – first to give the Warriors a one-point lead and then to extend it to four points the next possession.
His third 3-pointer of the first quarter gave Hield 200 threes on the season, making him only the fifth player in NBA history to have seven seasons with at least 200 3-pointers, joining Curry, Klay Thompson, James Harden and Damian Lillard. That’s two NBA MVPs and four future Hall of Famers Hield now finds himself associated within the realms of shooting royalty.
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Additionally, Hield now has done so in seven straight seasons, starting back in 2018-19 when he was then on the Sacramento Kings.
Joining Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike at halftime, Hield thanked Fitz five straight times for celebrating the achievement and went into detail about his quick release. The historic 200th three was the Warriors’ offense to a tee. Hield curled off a Kevon Looney screen, caught Jimmy Butler’s pass at the top of the arc and immediately was in his shooting motion.
“Just finding your spots and finding your rhythm,” Hield said. “When you see an opening, just get it off quick. My teammates find me in the right spots.”
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Hield hasn’t been shy in saying if it weren’t for Curry, he probably wouldn’t have been picked sixth overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. As Hield was lighting it up behind the 3-point line at Oklahoma, Curry was changing the way basketball will forever be seen and played. Hield made 240 threes with a 41.3 3-point percentage in his final two years of college, the same seasons in which Curry won back-to-back MVPs.
“I modeled my game behind the 3-point line, just trying to be as consistent as I can,” Hield said to Tim Roye on Warriors Radio after the win. “Being around Steph and watching Klay, he’s a Bahamian brother of mine, to be one of the top gunners in the league is special. Hopefully, I can do it for a few more years.”
The Warriors’ offense had little rhythm and flow, despite what the final score displayed Friday night. They shot 31.8 percent from three on a night where 44 of their 83 shot attempts were 3-pointers. Hield only made one of his next seven 3-point attempts after draining his first three. But his 16 points led the Warriors’ bench, and Hield’s four threes were a game-high for both sides.
When the Warriors looked like the league’s best again to begin the season, Hield had the hot hand, averaging 16.2 points with a 44.2 3-point percentage in Golden State’s 12-3 start. From the first game in December through the first game in February – a 30-game stretch – Hield only averaged 9.1 points and was 59 of 192 on threes, a lowly 30.7 percent. The Warriors went 13-17 in those games.
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They’re now 18-6 when he makes at least four threes. They 14-2 in the 16 games Hield has scored 18 or more points, and 20-18 in the games he has failed to score 10 or more points. He’s Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, a mystery on most nights. He can ignite the Warriors’ wick on offense or blow out the flame from cold shooting or confounding decisions.
Whether the Warriors win or lose, Hield’s voice will be heard in the locker room. It’s impossible to miss. He and Butler constantly trade barbs with one another and there’s bound to be laughs following Hield, one way or the other.
“Buddy’s been incredible,” Draymond Green said to Fitzgerald and Azubuike after the win. “Obviously, we all know what he does on the court. But even off the court is bigger. The energy that he brings on a daily basis. He’s always upbeat. Brings a good vibe. Brings a good vibe to the gym, good vibe to the plane, good vibe to the hotel. Wherever we’re at, he’s always bringing a good vibe to it. Just an incredible teammate. Actually one of my favorite teammates.”
Draymond then looked off-camera to his left, catching Hield doing who knows what.
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“Look at him,” Green continued, laughing. “One of my favorite teammates I’ve ever had, and yet, he will get on your last nerve every day.”
The Buddy Hield Experience has been a ride unlike any other this season. His energy is always invited, and the Warriors have shown they believe his historic 3-point shot can help drive them down the right road.
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