Pat Spencer gave up a career in lacrosse to chase his NBA dreams despite playing just one season of college basketball at Northwestern. Chris Coduto / Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — Pat Spencer has earned a standard NBA contract.
The Golden State Warriors announced that they have officially converted Spencer’s two-way contract to a full-time NBA contract prior to Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The 29-year-old point guard scored a career-high 20 points in Thursday’s comeback win over the Phoenix Suns and has become a popular player within the Warriors’ locker room because of his attitude and work ethic.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr admitted he was “relieved” that the Warriors created an open roster spot for Spencer after making two separate deals before Thursday’s trade deadline. Thursday’s game marked the 50th that Spencer was active for this season on his two-way deal — which meant that if the Warriors didn’t have a space for him, they risked losing him to another team.
“I was really worried that we were gonna lose him after 50 games and not be able to do anything,” Kerr said after Thursday’s win. “So it’s a relief to now get him on the main roster and you can see what he’s capable of.”
Spencer is averaging 5.8 points, 2.9 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 14.4 minutes a game this season. He is shooting 43.1 percent from beyond the arc and has given Kerr a solid spark off the bench at various points this season. Spencer’s story has resonated with his teammates, given that he became one of the best lacrosse players in the country but gave up a career in lacrosse to chase his NBA dreams after playing just one season of college basketball at Northwestern.
Spencer was not selected in the 2020 NBA Draft and originally signed a two-way contract with the Warriors in February 2024.
This story will be updated.
Feb 7, 2026
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