While Golden State Warriors fans have gone after Brandin Podziemski pretty hard this season, the young player recently addressed the comments he’s made which should really put the matter to bed going forward.
Speaking to reporters after Friday night’s win over the Washington Wizards, Podziemski responded to whether he hears or reads the chatter about him online: “Yeah, I see it. Like I said, a lot of the things I said, I probably shouldn’t have said...But all I can do is look forward and give it my all every night.”
Podziemski maturely addresses past comments after win over Wizards
Podziemski did recently address the controversy stirred up online about comments he made ahead of the season on his desire to be greater than Stephen Curry. Podziemski said that those comments were taken out of context and he seems to understand how, if he’s not careful, his words can be misconstrued.
“Yeah, I see it (what is said online). Like I said, a lot of the things I said, I probably shouldn’t have said... But all I can do is look forward and give it my all every night.”
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 28, 2026
Podz on the noise surrounding his previous viral comments pic.twitter.com/vTR8EhaW95
At just 23-years-old, he's still maturing both as a player and a person. He deserves a little grace to try and figure things out. He's clearly a confident young man and it's that confidence that has gotten him to the NBA, but at times the confidence can be interpreted as brashness or arrogance.
He’s still learning, and even though he will probably always be polarizing amongst certain segments of the fanbase, it's time to move on and let his past remarks go. Of course, if he sticks his foot in his mouth again or his remarks get misinterpreted, it will bring about a whole new round of scrutiny. Yet if he grows, then he shouldn't continue to get dragged through the mud.
The Santa Clara University product deserves a lot of credit for the way he has played even amidst all of the extracurricular talk about him. On Friday against the Wizards, Podziemski scored 22 points, snagged 10 total rebounds, and made six of his 13 field goal attempts.
He’s also played in 88 straight games, something that's so valuable and especially on a Warriors team that's aging and otherwise injury prone. There's no doubt he deserves credit for that durability.
It’s clear why the coaching staff likes him. Head coach Steve Kerr has come to his defense in the past and talked about how Podziemski does a lot of things well. Is he greater than Curry? No, and he never will be. But if he was judged simply for his play then any rational observer would have to conclude that he's a good player to have on the floor.
The Podz wars will surely continue to be waged on social media, but he seems to have learned his lesson from his past remarks and is playing well, making it time for everyone to move on.