It’s been a great week to be a Warriors fan. That’s not something that has been said since the Dubs lost Game 7 at home to LeBron James and the Cavaliers. However, that changed the instant Kevin Durant released his piece on The Players’ Tribune announcing to the world that he was picking the Warriors over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The announcement sent the NBA world into a tailspin and everyone was talking about it. We caught up with the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Jared Goff, on our Warriors World Podcast to talk Warriors.
Here’s the full interview with the Los Angeles Rams Quarterback:
WW: Kevin Durant is officially a Golden State Warrior and you being a lifelong Warriors fan, we need your input on it. What do you think?
Jared Goff: Man, I am very excited obviously. I think it’s going to be great for the team. It can’t hurt, he’s one of the top three players in the league and can score. I think he is going to provide exactly what the Warriors need.
WW: Were you kind of keeping up with his whole free agency process when he was meeting with teams?
Jared Goff: Yea a little bit. I actually was in Tahoe when I heard the news. I got woke up to “he’s coming; he’s coming”. It was pretty exciting, but yea I was keeping up with it a little bit.
WW: Have you finally got a chance to settle down and kind of realize that I am the number one pick and you had the draft back in April? How many playoff games were you watching, the Finals and up until now KD?
Jared Goff: Yea I did watch all the Finals, all the playoffs with the Warriors and all that stuff. As far as football goes, it’s starting to settle down a little bit. OTA’s went by fast, only nine practices and only three weeks, it kind of just goes by really quickly. I tried to learn as much as I could and I felt really good about it. Going back to basketball, I watched all the playoffs in my room during OTA’s and actually I was at Game 7, so I saw that live. I was bummed, but at the same time I guess it was somewhat cool to see LeBron win a Finals, but at the same time I was obviously rooting for the Warriors.
WW: Definitely man. Being in that building for Game 7 I think the whole mood felt like the Warriors are still going to win this. Even now when I was running back the replay of the game and our friend Nick was doing the same, he’s like: “I’m watching the replay of the game and I am still expecting Steph to hit the shot.”
Jared Goff: Yup, exactly. I don’t know if you guys were there or not, but it was a crazy atmosphere. Standing up the whole game, I have never been to a game where people do that. At the end of the game, I will never forget, there was probably two minutes left and I think it was tied 89-89. It was just me and my buddy that were there and I was like “Dude, this is our last two minutes of the NBA season, this is why we bought the tickets for these two minutes right here”. It was cool, it was a lot of fun. I expect them to be in a similar situation next year.
WW: Have you had the chance to run into Steph around town?
Jared Goff: No I haven’t. I lived in Berkeley when I went to Cal and I know he was over there quite a bit playing golf and people would see him all the time. I haven’t met him. I have met Draymond, I have met Iguodala and I’ve met Klay. Steph is one of the guys I haven’t met yet.
WW: You mentioned Draymond and I think you were quoted saying that’s your favorite player in basketball. What specifically about Draymond makes you say that?
Jared Goff: [Laughter] Yup. I just like how he’s kind of unconventional. He doesn’t necessarily have a set position. He can shoot, but he can also play center. You can’t really define him and his passion is just incredible. So I have always enjoyed how he is kind of an underdog, but at the same time he brings so much energy.
WW: If you had to compare your game to someone on the Warriors, who would you go with?
Jared Goff: Hopefully the accuracy of Curry I guess.
WW: Being down in Los Angeles next season I am assuming you’re going to catch the Warriors when they make the trip to Staples?
Jared Goff: Sure, yeah and I am going to have to have some sort of dual fan-ship with the Lakers down here. I will support them as much as I can while I live down here and play down here, it’s kind of part of the job. It makes it easier that Luke is the coach now. I actually have met and talked to Luke a little bit. He’s a great guy and I am excited what he can do here with the Lakers.
WW: Like you said, it’s part of the job. Being the new face of LA, you definitely can’t be ruffling feathers down there. We saw you throwing out the first pitch, I know that was a bit tough for you, I know, I can tell.
Jared Goff: [Laughter] It was alright. It was tough at first when I got the invite and I was like: “Yeah I’ll do it”. Once I was there and saw all the guys on the team were really cool with me, Puig was awesome and it was really not as tough as people kind of made it seem. It was fun, I enjoyed it.
WW: Let’s take it back to the Berkeley days. Berkeley had two NBA prospects, Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb. Did you have any relationship with those two?
Jared Goff: Yeah I do. I actually talked to Jaylen quite a bit. He asked me for advice throughout his career at Cal. I met him when he first came in and I gave him anything I can help with, I mean we don’t play the same sport, but I helped with stuff that could kind of translate. I talked to him right before the draft and I actually talked to him right after. I know he’s excited and I expect him to do really well.
WW: How was your time at Cal? How was it being the star quarterback of the team and on campus. How much love did you receive in the City of Berkeley?
Jared Goff: A lot, it became kind of like a second home. I do live in the Bay Area, but I live over across the bridge over in Marin County, so Berkeley became a second home. I learned a lot there and grew up a lot obviously through college. The people are great, it’s so unique. Much like most of the Bay Area, it’s just a melting pot of people. Living there you see all these homeless people all the time in Berkeley and becoming somewhat friends with them was kind of cool. You walk around the streets and they recognize you and then the students were great. Everyone was really supportive and very nice while I was there.
WW: What were some of your go to spots in Berkeley?
Jared Goff: Gypsy’s. I went to Gypsy’s a lot. Gypsy’s was my late night, I think pasta. I’d go there a lot. I liked Seniore’s, that was right across the street, that was pizza. There’s actually a place right next to Gypsy’s called Mandarin House, I’d go there a lot as well as Pappy’s.
WW: Oh definitely Pappy’s. What about Sliver?
Jared Goff: I actually never got to Sliver. I always heard of it, but I never got a chance to. It was a little bit more downtown and most of the time I am looking for something quick to eat and I knew it was a little farther away.
WW: We appreciate you taking the time and best of luck not only this season, but in your career moving forward my man.
Jared Goff: Thank you guys, I appreciate it.
To listen to the full Warriors World Podcast, click here.