Former Northwestern Star Turns Heads With Warriors' Playoff Performance

The guard played in 31 games for the Wildcats in 2019-20.

Feb 13, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Pat Spencer (61) shoots against Houston Rockets forward Jae'Sean Tate (8) in the first half at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Golden State Warriors were hoping to take a commanding 2-0 series lead on the road last night in Houston, but injuries and illness hampered their efforts. Jimmy Butler exited in the first quarter with an apparent tailbone injury, and guard Brandin Podziemski played limited minutes due to an unspecified sickness.

The Warriors were forced to lengthen their bench, and former Northwestern guard Pat Spencer was tabbed to take on some of the open minutes. He was productive, scoring 11 points in 12 minutes of action and shooting 5-of-7 from the floor.

Spencer is the 11th Wildcat to play in the NBA Playoffs, and he posted the fifth highest point total in a game of that group, according to Basketball Reference. He's the first Wildcat to get playoff action since Vic Law in 2020.

After Pat Spencer dropped 11 pts in his playoff debut tonight, I got curious and put together a quick notes app list of every Northwestern alum who has scored in an NBA or ABA playoff game. Sorted by career playoff high, here’s how it shapes up: https://t.co/rxIcq8MoaO pic.twitter.com/X9AwMCGUfN

— Gavin Dorsey (@gjdorsey7) April 24, 2025

Spencer had a long, winding road to the NBA. He started his college career as a lacrosse player at Loyola Maryland before transferring to Northwestern to play basketball. After posting 10.4 points per game in 2019-20 with the Wildcats, it took him until last season to make it to the league.

In his two seasons with Golden State, Spencer has played in 45 total regular season games, averaging 2.3 points and 1.2 assists. He earned a full-time NBA contract this season, playing in 39 games and averaging 2.5 points per contest.

After changing sports in the middle of college, Spencer's improbable journey to the NBA was already a success story. Now, he's taken it a step further, turning in a productive and efficient playoff performance.