Hield believes he has found NBA home with Warriors after long journey

SAN FRANCISCO – To Buddy Hield, the Bahamas will always be home. The food. The weather. The beaches and all the activities – from the nightlife and enjoying a glass of rum, to the freedom of jumping on a jet ski. 

It’s where at 12 years old playing in a tournament while just in seventh grade Hield knew this is what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. His talent already was talked about throughout the country. His hunger for more equaled his love of getting up as many shots as possible, day by day. 

Even in paradise, basketball became therapeutic at an early age. Pure, unfiltered joy. 

But in the NBA, Hield’s home has featured multiple destinations. First in New Orleans for a short while before five years in Sacramento, two years in Indiana, three months in Philadelphia and now San Francisco, where Hield feels most at home in his nine-year career. 

Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco is a uniquely special reason why. He is the head coach of the Bahamas men’s national basketball team, a country that has been on a historic rise in the sport. The Bahamas fell one win short of reaching the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, falling to Spain in July.

Making the pre-qualifying tournament was monumental in its own right, and Hield led the Bahamas in points per game with 19.8 in their four games. Though he’s his coach, Hield considers DeMarco, who’s only a few years older than him, a “big brother.” 

“He made my decision easy coming here,” Hield said to NBC Sports Bay Area on the latest episode of "Dubs Talk," which debuted Tuesday. 

DeMarco sold Hield on how Steve Kerr relates to players as someone who has gone through the grind, and won as both a player and coach. On the flip side, how DeMarco handles himself leading the Bahamas, fiery yet calm, was something that translated to an NBA staff Hield wanted to play for. 

An immense amount of credit should be given to DeMarco for the Bahamas' recent success on the national stage. 

“If it wasn’t for Chris, we’d have been 20 years back from who knows where,” Hield said. 

Admittedly, the main factor in why the Warriors so much have felt like home to Hield is because, well, this is where he always wanted to be. Wearing a Warriors jersey. Shooting with Steph Curry. Seeing Draymond Green change games defensive. 

Not replacing a Splash Brother. But adding to the legacy of the long ball in the Bay Area. 

“I've watched the Warriors play so much, they've always been on TV,” Hield said. “Over the years I fell in love with watching Steph and Draymond and Klay [Thompson] and just the way they play basketball. It's random and they just figure it out. Steph, I always tell everybody this – I say, 'If Steph didn't shoot the ball so well, I probably wouldn't have been able to be drafted that high.' 

“He's the reason I got drafted so high, because the NBA has fallen in love with the 3-ball. It was perfect timing and I was able to get drafted sixth.” 

Every front office already knew what a weapon Hield is shooting the ball, especially when lining up for three. Along with Curry, Thompson and a handful of others, he has been one of the main faces of the 3-point revolution. He also has been praised for his upbeat presence in the locker room by Kerr, Curry, Green and numerous others within the Warriors. 

"This is a blessing to be in this organization,” Hield said. “They play so free. And Steve is just so humble and even-keeled. He never gets too high, he never gets too low, he just knows all the right things to say and he understands that player-coach concept and can relay his message directly to players in a good manner. 

“I've been around a bunch of coaches and I've never seen a coach deliver a message the way Steve delivers his message, and it's always positive."

Before Kerr, Hield had played for Alvin Gentry, Dave Joerger, Luke Walton, Rick Carlisle and Nick Nurse. The list includes some highly respected names of the game. 

None compare to Kerr for Hield. All the many experiences Kerr went through as a player is a major reason why in Hield’s eyes. Because of that, he understands what it’s like to play under a contract. How it takes a toll on your mental well-being. Or in other words, the human element. 

The human element isn’t as simple as just caring. It’s leaning on your past experiences, and still being willing to learn to grow.

“That's what separates him,” Hield explains. “He understands how to relay that message in front of the team. It's hard, but we're going to figure it out together and he wants to see everyone be successful on and off the basketball court, and that's what makes him a great coach."

Home, for Hield, also is where the shots are. And where there’s the freedom and encouragement to shoot them. 

Having played nearly a decade in the NBA, Hield never has been given the green light like this since he racked up every award imaginable at Oklahoma. Kerr has never used the words “that’s a bad shot” to him, even when the sharpshooter and the former great shooter know it’s a bad decision. 

That’s the shooter’s mind. 

Kerr knew it and still knows it. As does Hield, about as good as a very select company ever have. 

“Steve likes that I'm a little bit crazy,” Hield says. “If you're a shooter you have to be a little bit crazy, and you gotta like that, because you have to take tough shots and you have to make them. Sometimes you're going miss more tough shots than you make, but that's why you have to be a little crazy to be a shooter. You work on it and you believe in yourself. I think Steve just gives me the ultimate confidence to be myself.

"I've gotten to be myself again and I don't have to look over my shoulders if I take a shot. If I don't take the shot he'll be like, 'You gotta shoot that. You gotta let it fly.' It's so nice to have a coach that's got your back. That goes such a long way."

The comfort of knowing the perfect dose of craziness. The joy of bringing the Bahamas to the Bay. Buddy Hield is home.

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