Sometimes, you just know when an NBA team is on the cusp of greatness. Jermaine O’Neal, for instance, saw big things coming for Steph Curry and Klay Thompson — because he saw them up close, before their dynasty run began. The six-time All-Star recalled the moment he realized it, and it had everything to do with how hungry and determined the young Warriors were during his time with the team in 2013–2014.
O’Neal shared a wild story about the type of shooting drills that Steph and Klay took part in before every game during an appearance on the Out The Mud podcast.
“The thing that really jumped out to me about Steph and Klay in particular,” he began. “I walk into the gym, and they always shooting at opposite goals. I just stopped and watched them shoot. They just shooting, and I hear them counting.”
You’d think that the future Hall of Famers were counting their makes. You’d be wrong.
“And then they go in, and they don’t count. I was like, ‘Why is he skipping some of these makes?'” O’Neal recalled asking. “They said, ‘No, if they hit the rim, they don’t count.'” This shocked host Tony Allen.
“That’s how they training?” asked a bewildered Allen. O’Neal nodded. “He was shooting 100 3s before and after practice. So when people see him shooting now, that’s reps. Serious reps bro,” he added.
It was drills like this that showed him this young Warriors team was built differently. “It was strange, you get a young team with a bunch of young players, they gonna start bumping heads,” O’Neal mentioned how players start arguing about contracts, playing time, or an assortment of other reasons to bump heads. Not the Dubs though. “And they were just like this (fingers enclosed).”
Jermaine was so impressed with how the Dubs looked that he immediately went to then-GM Bob Myers to urge him not to break up what he believed was a future dynasty.
“I said, ‘Bob, whatever you do, we had just lost against the Clippers, do not break this team up. I said y’all got something with these boys.” It wasn’t just because O’Neal had a feeling. It’s because he saw the desire of young guys who wanted to do nothing else but win.
It’s no surprise what came next. In 2015, the Warriors — led by Curry and Klay — defeated LeBron James and the Cavaliers to capture the franchise’s first title since 1975. They fell short in 2016 but bounced back in 2017 and 2018, reclaiming the crown both years. In 2019, they reached the Finals once more, this time losing to a hungry Toronto Raptors squad. And just when it seemed like the dynasty had run its course, the Warriors silenced the doubters by winning it all again in 2022.
“I ain’t seen this with young players. This level of work, consistency, hunger, desire,” stated O’Neal to end his passionate rant about one of the most dominant teams in the history of the NBA.
It’s a shame Jermaine couldn’t join them for that magical run. But it seems he’s just as happy knowing that it was going to happen.
