While it felt like many Golden State Warriors fans were coming around on young guard Brandin Podziemski, he was disrespected in a major way at a recent San Francisco Giants game which shows the debates about him among the fanbase are not going away anytime soon.
Podziemski attended Friday night’s game at Oracle Park alongside Warriors rookie Will Richard. The two were shown on the TV broadcast as well as the big screen during the game, and apparently some fans in attendance booed Podziemski when his name was called.
Warriors' Brandin Podziemski disrespected yet again
It was a pretty disrespectful moment, but it shows just how deep some of the anti-Podz sentiment runs in the fanbase.
It’s a bit odd though, because for those watching Warriors games in recent weeks, Podziemski has been one of the few bright spots for the team. He’s played in every game this season and has played really solid basketball. If the Warriors did not have him, this disappointing season could be even worse than it already has been.
"For all the Brandon Podziemski haters at Oracle Park last night: shame on you. All he's done is play every game this year. All he's done is work as hard as possible."
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) April 4, 2026
- @GiddingsEvan says Podz's game might be infuriating, but it doesn't deserve boos (via Warriors this Week) pic.twitter.com/N92jnPtBkQ
The third-year guard has put up 20 points or more in four of the team's last five games and has been one of the most potent scorers on the team with Stephen Curry out due to a knee injury. He's far from perfect, but he's definitely made some strides.
One imagines the fans booing him were not exactly die-hard Golden State fans. They probably heard the controversial comments the 23-year-old made about wanting to be greater than Stephen Curry or have seen the hate online directed at him, and were thinking with their lizard brains when they saw him show up on the Jumbotron.
It’s unfortunate though because no player deserves to get booed by his hometown fans like that unless he’s done something really egregious. Podziemski may have stuck his foot in his mouth a number of times to be sure, but he’s done nothing to warrant that sort of disrespect from fans in the Bay Area.
Ironically, the way he is divisive amongst the fanbase is somewhat reminiscent of how Giants fans viewed first baseman Brandon Belt back when he was a player. Those internal debates were known as the “Belt Wars” and it seems like the “Podz Wars” have only just begun in the Bay.
That’s not fair to Podziemski, but it’s simply the reality right now. Maybe in time he can prove the haters wrong and get the fanbase on his side for good.