Nash Congratulates Podz on ‘Well-Deserved’ NBA All-Rookie Honors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
On Monday, Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski found out he won the 2023-24 NBA. First Team Rookie Honors in one of the best possible ways.
Two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, who was also a two-time West Coast Conference Player of the Year at Podziemski’s alma mater, Santa Clara University, congratulated the 21-year-old via a video message for the first of what Golden State hopes to accomplish. He will be many league honors.
“Brandin, congratulations on making the All-Rookie team,” Nash said. “Very well deserved. It’s been a lot of fun watching you play, watching you develop, becoming a big part of what the Dubs are doing. I can’t wait to see how the rest of your career plays out. Keep working.
“Congratulations and good luck, friend.”
Nash and Podziemski are former Broncos, and the young Warriors guard opted to transfer to Santa Clara after he failed to make the rotation at Illinois. The move paid off, as Podziemski was ultimately selected 19th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft by Golden State, where he found and created enough success to earn All-Rookie honors this season.
“I found out when I saw the video that (Warriors senior vice president of communications Raymond Ridder) showed me, and Steve Nash thanked me. So it was cool,” Podziemski told reporters 90 minutes after the All-Rookie. The team was announced Monday. “
Nash ended up at Santa Clara after the university was the only team to recruit him out of high school, and the school retired his No. 11 jersey in September 2006. Nash left Santa Clara as the 15th overall pick in the draft. 1996 and then became an eight-time NBA All-Star.
However, unlike Podziemski, Nash was not selected to the All-Rookie team once he was in the league. And while it’s certainly a tall order, perhaps the Warriors guard could be on his way to becoming the next great player to come out of Santa Clara.
