Northwestern’s Pat Spencer continues to make a name for himself at the highest level

Despite the second round exit for the Warriors, Spencer remains one of the biggest success stories for all of NU athletics.

Most of Northwestern’s fanbase might associate the all-time great Boo Buie with putting a basketball program which was once an afterthought back on the map. Yet for all the work done by Agent Zero to pave the way, Pat Spencer might be Northwestern basketball’s greatest success story.

As many now know, his path to the NBA was not your average one. Spencer was one of the most highly-touted prospects in the country during his time in college… in lacrosse. Highly-touted might be an understatement, too: Spencer was the LeBron James of lacrosse, dominating at a stage never seen before the minute he arrived at the collegiate stage.

But after winning the Tewaaraton Award — awarded to the best collegiate lacrosse player in the country — his senior year and promptly getting picked first overall in the Premier Lacrosse League draft, he surprisingly switched sports.

Just when his lacrosse career came to an end, his Northwestern career began. Spencer transferred not just schools, but sports, joining NU’s basketball program as a fifth-year graduate student.

And after a solid year with the ‘Cats, during which Spencer averaged 10.4 points on modest 44/24/82 shooting splits, he looked to go pro in his new primary sport. It wasn’t an easy route; Spencer’s first professional appearance was for the Hamburg Towers in 2021, where he averaged 9.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in just five total appearances. He signed his first stateside professional contract with the Capital City Go-Go, the Washington Wizards’ G-League affiliate, and played one season with the team before making the move west to join the Santa Cruz Warriors in July of 2022.

Two years later, Spencer did eventually find his way onto an NBA roster, appearing his first regular season game on Feb. 25, 2024 as part of the Golden State Warriors.

This postseason after the seven-seeded Warriors snuck their way into the playoffs, Spencer got the chance to prove his worth as a rotational piece, even on a playoff-level team.

During the first round against the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets, Spencer appeared in three games of the seven-game series. Although he only got the opportunity to play in the three losses the Warriors suffered, he showed out: in just 28 total minutes of action in Round One, the Maryland native scored 28 points and added six rebounds and four assists. He was extremely efficient, too, shooting 13-for-17 (76%) from the field.

His strong play warranted head coach Steve Kerr’s continued usage of the 28 year-old guard heading into a Conference Semifinals series against the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves. Although Spencer wasn’t as much of a standout performer in Round Two, knocking down just three total field goals in four game appearances, he was still a valued member of the rotation.

It might seem like an anomaly that Spencer, thick mustache and all, found himself in the NBA at all. And it is. A 28 year-old “rookie,” Spencer is multiple years removed from just a single season of collegiate basketball experience, doesn’t have off-the-charts intangibles and remains a relatively unreliable long-range shooter. So, how the heck did he get here?

If there’s any one thing that defines Pat Spencer’s style of play, it’s hustle. Spencer is every coach’s ideal player, a “do-it-all” guy who will put his body on the line for the team as needed and without question. Just look at him stepping up for his teammates in Game 6 of Rockets-Warriors, and getting ejected in the process:

Spencer’s underdog mentality has been the key to him getting as far as he has in terms of an NBA career, warranting praise from players like Draymond Green, widely considered one of the toughest, hard-nosed guys in the NBA.

“He is one of the toughest guys on this team.” Green said in a postgame press conference, comparing him to the likes of both himself and teammate Jimmy Butler. “Pat Spencer is tough as nails.”

Even though Spencer and the Warriors’ season has come to an end after they fell to the Timberwolves in five games, that mentality ought to keep the former Wildcat in the league for plenty longer.