Podz makes 'difficult' choice to pursue basketball over baseball

Podz details difficult decision opting for basketball over baseball in an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Bay Area

Brandin Podziemski became an instant contributor during his debut season with the Warriors, but what if the NBA All-Rookie First-Team guard continued to pursue a different sport instead of chasing his basketball dreams?

Podziemski recently revealed on "The Dinner Table" podcast that despite his dad's desire for him to play baseball, he fell in love with basketball in eighth grade and decided that was the sports path he'd take. That led the now-21-year-old to have a difficult conversation.

"Oh, yeah. Super hard," Podziemski said. "My mom, she's kind of go with the flow. So, whatever I want to do, she's like, 'Yeah, that's fine.' But my dad was so big on me making it in baseball, playing. It's something that he couldn't make it in, so he wanted me to make it in.

"It was a hard conversation, I remember we were driving back from a tournament in Nashville, and I just told him in the car, 'I don't think I want to play baseball anymore. I think basketball is something I love to do now, and this is just where I want to stop.'

"I remember him almost crying about it because he was like, 'There's no way. You're so talented, you're so gifted, you're meant to play baseball.' I just like stood true to it. I was like, 'If you let me play, I'm going to make it in basketball.' Five, six years later got drafted, so just stayed true to what I told him."

Podziemski then was asked if his dad had any special message for him after the Warriors selected him No. 19 in the 2023 NBA Draft.

"I don't think it was anything he said. It was just kind of tears of joy," Podziemski said. "I think amongst my whole family, just because nobody in my family has ever played sports at even a college level, most was high school. So, for me to be someone who made it out with our family, and being able to celebrate them, having them all there with me in Brooklyn was really fun."

Podziemski quickly has become a respected NBA player, reportedly being a highly sought-after trade chip in rumored deals for All-Stars.

Whether Golden State decides to keep Podziemski in its long-term plans or include him as the centerpiece in a trade for a player such as Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, it's safe to say the Warriors benefited tremendously from his life-altering decision to forego baseball in favor of basketball.

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