Who is Pat Spencer? What to know about Warriors mustached guard, from lacrosse career to No. 61 jersey number
Context:
Pat Spencer, a 28-year-old guard for the Golden State Warriors, transitioned from a stellar collegiate lacrosse career at Loyola to professional basketball. After a single season playing basketball at Northwestern, he joined the G-League in 2021 and ascended to an NBA role with the Warriors by 2025, where he shifted from a two-way to a standard contract. In the 2024-25 season, Spencer played 39 regular-season games, averaging modest stats but achieving a career-high 17 points in a single game. His unique jersey number 61, chosen for personal reasons, symbolizes his journey and resilience after being overlooked in the 2020 NBA Draft. Spencer's tenacity and contributions, especially during the playoffs, have been recognized by teammates like Draymond Green, who praise his toughness and potential longevity in the NBA.
Dive Deeper:
Pat Spencer's athletic journey began with a focus on lacrosse, where he was a standout player at Loyola, setting collegiate records and earning numerous accolades, including the Tewaaraton Award in 2018 as the nation's top player.
Transitioning to basketball, Spencer used his graduate year eligibility to play at Northwestern, averaging over 10 points per game before the COVID-19 pandemic cut his season short in 2020.
He pursued professional basketball by joining the G-League in 2021, eventually signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Golden State Warriors in 2022 and rejoining their affiliate team, the Santa Cruz Warriors, in 2023.
Spencer's NBA debut came in February 2024 with a two-way contract, and he later secured a standard NBA contract in March 2025, contributing more significantly to the Warriors' lineup with notable performances.
Wearing the number 61, Spencer's choice reflects his personal connection to both his lacrosse number and his motivation after being bypassed in the NBA Draft, serving as a symbol of his self-made journey.
In the 2024-25 season, Spencer played 39 games, averaging 2.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game, including a standout performance of 17 points against the Pacers.
Pat's contributions have been crucial during the Warriors' playoff run, especially when key players were absent, highlighting his readiness and toughness, which have been acknowledged by teammates like Draymond Green.
The Warriors have had some more unexpected contributors in 2024-25.
The expectation entering the new season was that once again, Steve Kerr's team would run out a group focused on Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins, with young players like Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski having room to grow.
Of course, Curry, Green and Podziemski have still played significant roles. But after the Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler before the trade deadline, their rotations changed a lot; Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and more were gone, Kuminga's role declined, and lesser-known names were given bigger roles.
Players like Gui Santos, Quinten Post and Lindy Waters III have been unsung heroes on Golden State's run to the second round. Another one of those lesser-known players for the Warriors is Pat Spencer, a guard who seemingly came out of nowhere to appear in 39 regular-season games.
Here's everything to know about Spencer, a guard who's come off the bench for the Warriors this season.
NBA PLAYOFFS HQ: Live NBA scores | NBA playoff schedule | NBA playoff bracket
Who is Pat Spencer?
Spencer is a 28-year-old, 6-foot-3 guard who's seen the biggest role of his NBA career in 2024-25. After playing college basketball for Northwestern for one season, a stint that followed a standout collegiate lacrosse career at Loyola, Spencer caught on in the G-League in 2021 as he began to pursue basketball.Since 2022, Spencer has been on various types of contracts for Golden State. As of March 2025, he's on a standard NBA deal, an upgrade for him after coming into the season on a two-way contract.
Spencer appeared in just six games for the Warriors in 2023-24, his first NBA appearances, but has taken on a more significant bench role in 2024-25. In 39 regular-season games, Spencer averaged 2.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 6.4 minutes per game. He's had a few small scoring outbursts, including a career-high 17 points in his 20 minutes against the Pacers on Jan. 10.
Pat's younger brother, Cam Spencer, is also in the NBA. Cam played college basketball for Loyola, Rutgers and UConn, winning the 2024 national championship with the Huskies. Cam Spencer was selected with the 53rd overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and he is now on a two-way contract with the Grizzlies; he appeared in 25 games for Memphis in 2024-25.
MORE STEPHEN CURRY NEWS
- Stephen Curry injury history timeline: Every major injury in Warriors star's career
- How soon could Stephen Curry return from hamstring injury?
- Three Warriors who have to step up in Steph Curry's absence
Pat Spencer career timeline
2019: Joins Northwestern basketball
Pat Spencer played basketball in high school, but had focused on lacrosse for four seasons (2016-19) at Loyola when he went to college. In 2019, he stopped pursuing lacrosse despite being one of the best collegiate players in the country.Spencer used his college graduate year eligibility to instead play basketball at Northwestern. He averaged 10.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game in 2019-20.
2021: Plays overseas in Germany
The remainder of Spencer's graduate season at Northwestern was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of giving up on his basketball dreams, Spencer took his talents overseas temporarily, joining the Hamburg Towers, which are based in Germany.He played in fives games for the team, averaging 9.2 points and 3.6 rebounds.
October 2021: Joins G-League
Spencer first joined the NBA's G-League in 2021 by signing a deal with the Capital City Go-Go, which are based in Washington, D.C.July 2022: Joins Warriors organization
Almost a year after he became a G-League player, Spencer signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Warriors on July 25, 2022. He would later join the team's G-League affiliate's training camp roster by October.In November 2023, Spencer rejoined the Santa Cruz Warriors.
GET OUT HIS WAY! 🔥
Pat Spencer flushes it through plus the foul. @GLeagueWarriors pic.twitter.com/iOyPBEOc1d— NBA G League (@nbagleague) March 10, 2024
February 2024: Signs two-way contract, makes NBA debut
In February 2024, Spencer's NBA aspirations became reality. He signed a two-way deal with the Warriors on Feb. 24, then made his league debut the next day against the Nuggets. He had previously appeared in preseason games, but not regular-season games.Spencer played two minutes against Denver in his debut, but didn't record any stats. His first points came on March 20, 2024, facing the Grizzlies. Spencer would appear in six games for the Warriors in total toward the end of the 2023-24 season, making two of his four shots.
March 2025: Signs standard contract, role increases
As a two-way player, Spencer appeared in plenty of games in the first half of the Warriors' 2024-25 season. He played 15 minutes in a November matchup against the Thunder, scored 17 points against the Pacers in January and went for 13 points against the Lakers in February.On March 4, Spencer was rewarded by the Warriors, who converted his deal into a standard contract. He appeared in some more games to finish out the regular season, including a 10-point game against Phoenix in April.
May 2025: Spencer fills playoff role for Warriors
In Golden State's first-round matchup against the Rockets, Spencer all of a sudden became more of a key player.Although the Warriors lost all three games he appeared in, he totaled 28 points in the series altogether, including 11-point performances in Game 2 and Game 5. When Golden State was dealing with blowout losses, Spencer had more of an opportunity and took advantage of it with his scoring.
That led to him earning an even more significant role when the Warriors advanced to the second round to face the Timberwolves. In Game 1 of the series on the road, Curry went down with a hamstring ailment, and Spencer played 11 minutes in his absence, totaling four points, two rebounds and two steals.
Why does Pat Spencer wear No. 61?
Spencer is hard to miss on the floor, partly because of his mustache, but mostly because of his unique number: 61.No. 61, Pat Spencer 🙌 pic.twitter.com/B4wKzx1Mab
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 7, 2025 After Golden State's Game 1 victory over Minnesota, Green pointed out the rare number Spencer wears.
"Pat is a damn good basketball player. I know it he don't look like it. ... I don't think the No. 61 helps him. But he's one of the toughest guys on this team," Green said. "Pat Spencer is tough as nails. ... Every time he gets the opportunity, he's ready."
Draymond "Pat Spencer is a damn good basketball player. I know it he don't look like it. I don't think the #61 helps him. He's one of the toughest guys on this team. He's tough as nails" pic.twitter.com/LYEQwCnfi7
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 7, 2025 It may seem random, but the 28-year-old does have reasoning behind his number choice. In a YouTube video posted by Jim Seimas in 2022, Spencer said at the Santa Cruz Warriors' media day that he has "personal" connections to No. 61.
There were two reasons for the number, Spencer said. For one, he wore No. 7 when he played college lacrosse, and six and one equal seven. The second reason is somewhat of a shot at all the teams that passed on him in the 2020 NBA Draft.
"There's 60 spots in the NBA Draft. And so 61 is just a personal thing for me," Spencer said. "It just signifies me creating my own journey."
No matter Spencer's unique number, one of the Warriors' longtime stars thinks he'll be a mainstay on their future rosters.
"He has a chip on his shoulder. He doesn't back down from anyone," Green said after Game 1 vs. Minnesota. "I think he'll be around for a long time."
Pat Spencer lacrosse career
After playing both lacrosse and basketball in high school, Spencer originally pursued lacrosse in college after being named a US Lacrosse High School All-American.He joined Loyola in 2016, becoming one of the high-end lacrosse prospects across the country for the team. Over his four seasons, Loyola went 49-19 and reached the NCAA Final Four in 2016. Spencer holds the collegiate record for career assists in lacrosse with 231 and the Patriot League record for career points with 380.
In 2018, Spencer was given the Tewaaraton Award, which is awarded to the nation's most outstanding lacrosse player, the equivalent of football's Heisman Trophy. In his senior season in 2018, Spencer won the Lt. Raymond Enners Award, given to the USILA's top player, and the Jack Turnbull Award, given to the best attackman in the country.
Over his four years at Loyola, Spencer was a four-time All-American. As of May 2025, he ranks fourth all-time in career points for an NCAA men's lacrosse player with 380 and first all-time in career assists with 231.
In 2019, Spencer was selected as the first overall pick by the Archers Lacrosse Club in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) Draft. He never practiced or joined the team, ultimately choosing to pursue basketball at Northwestern before his professional hoops career began.
Here's a full look at Spencer's lacrosse stats at Loyola:
Season Games Goals Assists Points 2016 18 37 52 89 2017 16 28 55 83 2018 17 35 59 94 2019 17 49 65 114 Career: 61 111 231 380