From Kendra Andrews’ article re: Wiggs’ absence and return: “I don’t care about the basketball. Life is way more important than the game,” Kerr said. “The main thing is if any of our players have a life situation where they need to be with their family, then that’s where they’re going to be.”

Link to article, which FYI doesn’t add much beyond this quote that hasn’t already been posted to the sub, is [here](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39660752/warriors-andrew-wiggins-return-vs-bucks-wednesday).

Steve may make some frustrating/head scratching (to us fans, ie to those not privy to all info/considerations/strategies, etc. that went into the decisions) coaching decisions in-game, but he gets it and I’m not sure there’s ever been a coach in this league that so perfectly straddles and maintains perspective on the NBA work/life balance. In particular, what is and always will be most important.

The number of former Warriors players that have come out since their time with the Warriors and talked about how the Warriors organization and the culture that Steve created and set is unlike anywhere else in the league and how much they loved it, further proves that to be the case. Just a few:

Quinn Cook:

> “When Golden State calIed,” Cook recalled, “I told my agent, ‘I didn’t care if I never play. I don’t have to play. I just want to be a part of the organization. I want to learn every single day from those guys.’ And not just because the Warriors had just won and had won two of the last three NBA Finals, and gone to three straight Finals. It wasn’t just that. It was just the people that were there. “Just being there, it just meant a lot,” Cook said. “It just meant a lot, having relationships with those guys. It means the world to me because it was a true family. They accepted me and they accepted all the young guys who were new to the team, and they treated us like every other player, man. Just to have relationships with guys like that, to learn from guys like that, it means the world and it’s something I cherish to this day.”

Matt Barnes:
> “I was blessed with the opportunity to come fu** with you guys right before I was done,” Barnes said on the Point Forward podcast. “I’m just like, you look at all these superstars from KD, to Steph, to Klay, to Draymond on the rise to the super solid vets and rockstar head coach, and at least while I was there, there was no egos. You know what I mean? Everyone left that sh** at the door. Getting a chance to be on a team that talented where it’s just about winning, I was like, damn, if the world can understand, to me that’s a secret of why you guys won….That environment is second to none. You know, from ownership doing everything you need, all you have to do is go out there and play basketball. The way you guys love and fu**with each other like that, like that’s not normal,” Matt added.

Even KD himself just this season praised the culture:

> “It’s fun being a Warrior,” Durant told Logan Murdock of The Ringer before the season opener. “It’s fun traveling with the Warriors because it’s a family atmosphere wherever we went. I can have two of my homeboys on a plane with me just because, on a random-ass, one-day road trip. That’s how tight it was.”

GPII, who is obviously still a current player but one that’s been through many organizations during his time in the league so is one to know:

> “This organization is about doing things together,” Payton said. “On the road, we have a lot of team dinners the organization puts on for us. Guys have kids with birthdays and they invite everyone over, complete with family from the front office down. I’ve never been somewhere where it’s family-based like that. Players here really care for one another and enjoy watching each other have success. You don’t get that in a lot of places around the league.”

by taygads