Former Northwestern Star Ejected from Golden State Warriors' Playoff Game

The ex-Wildcat was tossed from the Warriors' playoff loss to the Rockets.

Jan 5, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Pat Spencer (61) passes the ball against Sacramento Kings guard Devin Carter (22) during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

In the fourth quarter of the Golden State Warriors' 131-116 playoff loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, former Northwestern guard Pat Spencer was ejected with 4:14 remaining.

The scuffle occurred with the Warriors trailing by 13 in the final period. Rockets forward Dillon Brooks grabbed a defensive rebound while Spencer tried to wrestle the ball away, resulting in Brooks tumbling to the floor and a foul being called.

Alperen Şengün came to defend his fallen teammate and got in Spencer's face, which led to Spencer headbutting the Turkish All-Star. Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis then shoved Şengün and the players had to be separated as they shouted at each other.

Jackson-Davis and Şengün were assessed double technical fouls, while Spencer was ejected for initiating the headbutt.

Pat Spencer and Şengün 😳 pic.twitter.com/OIReyzQEeH

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 1, 2025

Prior to his ejection, Spencer had tied his playoff career high with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting. He also had four rebounds, two assists and a steal as the Warriors' series lead fell to 3-2 over Houston.

Spencer played one season of collegiate basketball at Northwestern, ranking second among the Wildcats with 10.4 points per game and leading the team with 122 assists in 2019-20. Prior to his year in Evanston, Spencer played four seasons of college lacrosse at Loyola, where he was a four-time All-American and won the 2019 Tewaaraton Award.

After playing professional basketball in Germany, Spencer joined the NBA G League in 2021 and eventually worked his way up to the NBA. Spencer's two-way deal was converted into a standard NBA contract with the Warriors in March.