Pat Spencer knows all too well about beating the odds. Years before being recognized as one of the greatest college lacrosse players of all time, As a sophomore in high school, Spencer was cut from the varsity lacrosse team.
It was one of the many obstacles Spencer faced in his multi-sport career, which led him to sign a two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors, where he made his NBA debut on February 25, 2024.
In the college lacrosse community, Spencer established himself as a legend in the game during his time at Loyola Maryland (2016-19). The four-year starter had a stellar career with the Greyhounds, winning the Tewaaraton Award (college lacrosse’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy) in his senior season in 2019. The forward had and still holds the most career assists (231) in NCAA DI men’s history.
“5 goals, 5 assists, great.”
Nothing but good things for Pat Spencer.#NCAALAX Q3 | LOYOLA 13 | PENN SITE 16 pic.twitter.com/SA9Jz5Zun2
— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX) May 19, 2019
He was later selected with the first overall pick in the 2019 Premier Lacrosse League’s inaugural draft, but after four years of dominating turf, Spencer wanted his turn on the hardwood.
The graduate transfer had one year of collegiate athletic eligibility remaining and took advantage of that opportunity to transfer to the Windy City to play basketball at Northwestern.
Although he hadn’t played basketball since high school, Spencer’s passion for the hardwood led his high school team to its first state title in 25 years in 2015.
In a practice with Northwestern, he impressed Wildcats coach Chris Collins with his athleticism, breaking the one-sport norm and quickly showing he could hold his own on the field.
The 6-3 guard averaged 10.4 points per game in Big Ten basketball, which is no mean feat, especially since he hasn’t competed since high school. He started 29 of 31 games and averaged four rebounds and four assists per game.
The end of his college career was marked by the onset of COVID-19. Many people in Spencer’s position would have left the sport or returned to the sport he was so talented at, but Spencer never followed the traditional path.
After the 2020 NBA draft, he decided to continue his basketball career with Hamburg Towers in Germany. After just five games in Germany, on October 25, 2021, he signed with the Capital City Go-Gos, the G-League affiliate of the Washington Wizards.
It was the first real step towards his ultimate goal of becoming an NBA player. Averaging just 13 minutes per game, he averaged roughly 6 points/2 rebounds/2 assists per game while shooting 39% from three.
After playing for the Go-Gos, Spencer signed an Exhibition 10 contract in July 2022 with the Santa Cruz Warriors, the G-League affiliate of the Golden State Warriors. (Exhibit 10 is a one-year contract where the athlete goes to training camp with the team.)
He basically played well during the glorified tryout, but in a league that can only have 15 players in the regular season, the Warriors said he wouldn’t be in the NBA, nor would he get a two-way contract.
He continued to fight the Santa Cruz Warriors until he found himself in unfamiliar territory and two major injuries required surgery. In high school and college, Spencer never had an injury that kept her from playing, but that was unfortunate if she wanted to pursue her dream seriously.
Spencer rejoined the Santa Cruz Warriors in November 2023 after recovering from hip and wrist surgery. Out of the gate, he hasn’t missed a beat in his return, averaging 12.5 points, 3.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds on 37.7 percent shooting, just above his NBA averages in six seasons.
Spencer finally achieved the feat he dreamed of while coaching Collins at Northwestern, and Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was taking notice.
GET OUT OF HIS WAY! 🔥
Pat Spencer added the error and struck it out. @GLeagueWarriors pic.twitter.com/iOyPBEOc1d
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) March 10, 2024
On February 22, 2024, Spencer signed a two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors, essentially allowing Spencer to play in the NBA while competing for the Santa Cruz Warriors. These contracts are usually reserved for young stars, so Spencer, now 27, is definitely the one to sign.
Spencer made his NBA debut on February 25 against the Denver Nuggets, five years after he was dismissed from the Premier Lacrosse League.
On February 5, 2025, the shooting guard was trending again with a SportsCenter Top 10 dunk against the Utah Jazz.
Pat Spencer’s SLAM DUNK against the Utah Jazz last night is #8 on the SportsCenter Top 10 🥍📈@warriors | @LoyolaMLAX pic.twitter.com/77C6CPcI3A
— TLN 🥍 (@LacrosseNetwork) February 6, 2025
The Loyola legend seems to have found his place in the NBA, and it will be interesting to see how far he takes his talents on the hardwood after dominating college lacrosse.
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