Inside The Warriors

Exclusive: Entering His 5th NBA Season, Moses Moody Continues To Learn On and Off The Court

In an exclusive interview with Warriors On SI, Golden State guard Moses Moody shares his journey in the NBA and how he's setting himself up for success after he's done playing
Liam Willerup|
Feb 25, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) before a game against the Charlotte Hornets at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Feb 25, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) before a game against the Charlotte Hornets at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

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Golden State Warriors

You learn something new every day. It's one of the most cliché sayings out there, but the reality is, you do. Learning doesn't just stem from sitting in a classroom, as you learn through life experiences as well as success and failure. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody is still learning to this day and wants those around him and in his community to do so as well.

In an exclusive interview with Warriors On SI, Moody sat down to discuss his journey from playing on one of the most loaded high school basketball rosters in 2020 Montverde, to winning an NBA Championship as a rookie, to now giving back to the community he calls home.

Early Basketball Career

Perhaps what sparked Moses to become the basketball player he is today was being able to witness former NBA All-Star Joe Johnson play at his camp when Moody was in middle school. Johnson, a seven-time All-Star, is actually a cousin of Moody, as the two have talked a few times since Moses made the NBA. However, Moody would come across All-Star talent again later in high school.

In terms of the best high schools/prep academies to go to if you are a basketball player trying to find success at the next level, Montverde Academy in Florida is one of the best choices you can make. A prep school that has produced NBA talents such as Joel Embiid, D'Angelo Russell, and RJ Barrett, Moses is also part of that list.

Playing on one of the best high school teams in recent memory with NBA All-Stars Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes, Moody revealed just how playing there prepared him for not only college ball, but the NBA down the line.

"I think the biggest impact that the school had on me was probably off the court. And you know, just having to figure out life a little bit earlier and grow up a little bit earlier, living on your own," Moses shared. Originally playing high school ball in Little Rock, he played his final two years for Montverde.

However, it wasn't just the living environment that prepared Moody, but the high level of coaching from the legendary Kevin Boyle. "Coach [Kevin] Boyle was crazy, and Coach [Eric] Musselman is also crazy. So, to be going from Boyle to Muss is like a harder adjustment for other freshmen that was just coming up. But I had just got done dealing with Boyle, going to that. So that wasn't that bad."

A legend at Montverde, Boyle made headlines earlier this year after he departed the program to join Spire Academy in Ohio.

NBA Career With Golden State

Moody would go on to play one year with the Arkansas Razorbacks, leading the team in scoring at 16.8 points per game and helping them to the Elite Eight, where they lost to the National Champions, the Baylor Bears. He'd declare for the 2021 NBA Draft, being selected 14th overall by the Golden State Warriors.

Joining a competitive team, Moses' transition to the NBA was aided by multiple team veterans. "[Kevon Looney] and [Andrew Wiggins], for sure, were two of the younger veterans. They really kind of like opened themselves up to help with that adjustment," he said.

"Then Draymond [Green] and Steph [Curry] and Klay [Thompson] as well, were all very instrumental for it. But it wasn't even just like a ‘Alright youngster, let me come show you the ropes’ as much of it was like, ‘We a team and questions are accepted, like you can always go talk to somebody.’ I used to go to Draymond’s room all the time. Sit close to him on the plane. So yeah, it was just a lot of opportunity to really connect with those guys," Moses added.

One of the best trios of all-time in Green, Curry, and Thompson, it's clear why they were able to create a winning environment for so long, based on how they treated new players on the roster.

Golden State Warriors, Draymond Green and Moses Moody
Jan 4, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) congratulates Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) after a basket against the Memphis Grizzlies in the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

The Warriors would go on to win the NBA Championship in 2022 in Moses' rookie season, as they defeated the Boston Celtics in six games after trailing 2-1 in the series. As for the incoming rookies for the Warriors this year, hoping to follow in his shoes, Moses is telling them to embrace being a rookie and make sure to ask questions to figure stuff out. In other words, he wants them to learn.

2024-25 Season With Golden State

Right before the start of last season, Moody and the Warriors agreed to a three-year, $37.5 million extension, showing that the franchise views him as a core piece to their roster going forward.

Year-by-year with Golden State, Moody's role improved in the rotation, going from 11.7 minutes per game as a rookie to 22.3 this past season. Seeing occasional starts through the start of the 2024-25 season, Moses ended the regular season as a starter in the final 28 games, helping the team to a 21-7 record. Proving his value as a two-way player, it was a great help to his confidence.

"Yeah, it was good to see it. You think you can do something, but once you've actually done it, then, you know, you can do something," Moses shared. "So it was cool to, you know, work through everything that I've been through in the league, working through it and then getting to that point and being able to capitalize on the opportunity. So that was really cool to see."

Unfortunately, Moody and the Warriors would fall to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals, losing in five games. However, he did get to see one of his former teammates from Arkansas, Jaylin Williams, reach the top and win an NBA Championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"I congratulated him on it and on this new contract as well," Moses said of his former Razorbacks teammate. "So yeah, just congratulations on that. Me and Jaylin was actually roommates when we were at Arkansas…But yeah, so we spent a lot of time together. He was the only one with a car when we first got there, so he used to drive us everywhere.”

For anyone who has experienced being a college freshman and having that one friend with a car, you know how valuable that is.

Williams was rewarded with a three-year, $24 million extension after the season, as he saw a lot of action during the Thunder's Western Conference Semifinals series against the Denver Nuggets as a defender against Nikola Jokic.

Off-Court Passions

While Moses is an SEC Freshman of the Year winner and NBA Champion, the reality is he's more than that off the court. Outside of the multi-million dollar contract, Moses is just someone who is constantly trying to learn in everything he gets involved with.

One passion that Moses has that many around the NBA have shown an affinity for is playing chess. Growing up playing the strategy game, he's now been able to play more since joining the NBA and having more people to play against. While they are two very different sports, Moody can draw a correlation between chess and basketball.

"There's definitely things that I can draw from it in relation to basketball. Part of it is just the patience and looking at the whole board…You can't get too tunnel-visioned and too narrow focused on what's in front of you, while there's a whole world of possibilities," he added.

Moses is also learning more in his new role, as he joined the NBPA's Board of Directors earlier in July. He'll be tasked with serving as an advisor to the NBPA Foundation's global programs, as well as focusing on social work around the world, among other tasks. However, his focus right now is consistent with the rest of his life: learning.

"Well, I'm a rookie when it comes to being on the board. It's my first board that I've been on, so just pay attention to everything that's going on, and really learn from the experience," Moses shared.

Philanthropic Work

However, where Moses might be most passionate off the court is his philanthropic work through his foundation, Motivate One. Last week, from July 25-27, Moses hosted a three-day event featuring a fireside chat with Draymond Green, a free basketball camp, as well as exposing the community of Little Rock to a variety of career options and life opportunities.

Golden State Warriors, Moses Moody and Draymond Green
Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody and forward Draymond Green during a fireside chat | Tristan Stuart Visuals

A great event for the community, Moses was down-to-earth when sharing what his goal is by putting together events like such.

"The foundation right now is focused on broadening exposure, broadening horizons. So we're planning on doing something to take a certain group of kids to San Francisco and take them to different tech companies, and all of that, because exposure is the biggest thing for me. I just think kids will do so much if they're doing it for a reason. Helping them find that reason is what I want to do, because you don't got to hold their hand through the process of everything because they'll do it…But they're not going to figure it out if they ain't got a reason to do it. So basketball was my reason. That's the reason I got good grades. That's the reason I didn't get in trouble…So that's what the foundation is about. Finding that for as many kids as possible."
Moses Moody
Golden State Warriors, Moses Moody
Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody hosting his basketball camp in Little Rock, Arkansas | Tristan Stuart Visuals

As has been the lesson throughout the interview, Moses wants those around him to learn, while he's learning how he can put them in positions to succeed.

Conclusion

Moses' basketball journey has seen him reach some of the highest heights you can as a player, from playing on one of the best high school teams of all time to winning an NBA Championship as a rookie. After carving out a strong role for himself as a starter last season with Golden State, the future looks bright for him in his playing career.

But regardless of whether he's playing basketball or helping out in the community through his foundation or working with the NBPA, it's clear that Moses will continue to learn and help others learn in everything he does.

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Liam Willerup
LIAM WILLERUP

A 2024 graduate of the University of Miami, Liam spent several years covering the University’s football and basketball teams. An avid basketball fan, you can find Liam on X @theleftyliam where he’s constantly sharing his thoughts.

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