Brandin Podziemski (/poʊˈdʒɛmski/ poh-JEM-skee; born February 25, 2003), nicknamed "Podz", is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini before transferring to the Santa Clara Broncos.
No. 2 – Golden State Warriors | |
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Position | Shooting guard / point guard |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | Greenfield, Wisconsin, U.S. | February 25, 2003
Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | St. John's Northwestern Military Academy (Delafield, Wisconsin) |
College |
|
NBA draft | 2023: 1st round, 19th overall pick |
Selected by the Golden State Warriors | |
Playing career | 2023–present |
Career history | |
2023–present | Golden State Warriors |
2023 | →Santa Cruz Warriors |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball Reference |
Early life and high school
Podziemski grew up in Greenfield, Wisconsin and attended St. John's Northwestern Military Academy.[1] He was named first team All-State after averaging 22.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore with St. John's Northwestern Military Academy after not playing on the varsity team as a freshman at Muskego High School.[2] Podziemski averaged 27.6 points and 9.2 rebounds and repeated as a first team All-State selection during his junior season.[3] He was named Wisconsin Mr. Basketball[4] as a senior after averaging 35.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 4.0 steals per game.[5] Podziemski was also the boys basketball Gatorade Player of the Year for Wisconsin in 2021.[6] Podziemski was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college basketball at Illinois over offers from Kentucky, Miami (Fla.), Vanderbilt, and Wake Forest.[7]
Podziemski was a left-handed pitcher growing up with opportunities to pursue baseball after high school.[8][9] Podziemski played varsity football his junior year at St. John's Northwestern Academies as a wide receiver and safety.
College career
Podziemski began his college basketball career with the Illinois Fighting Illini.[10] He played in 16 games as a freshman, all off the bench, and averaged 1.4 points per game. After the end of the season, Podziemski entered the NCAA transfer portal.[11]
Podziemski ultimately transferred to Santa Clara.[12] He entered his first season with the Broncos as the team's starting shooting guard.[13] Podziemski scored 30 points with 9 rebounds and 5 steals in Santa Clara's season opener against Eastern Washington as the Broncos won 84-72.[14] He scored 34 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the following game against Georgia Southern.[10] At the close of the 2022–23 regular season, he was named WCC co-Player of the Year, sharing the award with Drew Timme of Gonzaga, WCC Newcomer of the Year, NABC First Team, USBWA All-District, and All-WCC First Team.[15][16][17] Podziemski also earned WCC Player of the Week honors a SCU record four times, his 636 points was the fourth most in a season in program history, and his SCU three-point percentage was fourth-best in SCU program history.[18] Podziemski was one of only three NCAA Division 1 men's basketball players to average 19, 8, and 3 in the 2022-23 season and finished 5th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (43.8%).[19]
Podziemski declared for the 2023 NBA draft while maintaining his eligibility.[20] After taking part in the NBA Draft Combine and receiving positive feedback, he decided to remain in the draft.[21]
Professional career
The Golden State Warriors selected Podziemski with the nineteenth overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft[22] and on July 3, 2023, signed him to a contract.[23]
On December 12, 2023, against the Phoenix Suns, Podziemski became the first Golden State Warriors rookie to have 20+ points, 10+ rebounds (11), and 5 or more assists in a single game since two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry did so in the 2009-10 season.[24]
On December 16, 2023, Podziemski put up 19 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals, and a career-high four three-pointers made in a 124–120 win over the Brooklyn Nets.[25]
On December 25, 2023, against the Denver Nuggets, Podziemski became the first rookie in NBA history to have 9+ rebounds, 6+ assists, 5+ steals, and 3+ three pointers in a single game. (That evening, he had 13 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals on 57/75/100 splits.)[26]
On January 14, 2024, Podziemski returned home to the Milwaukee area to start against the Milwaukee Bucks and filled the stat sheet with 23 points (10 of 14), 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in 36 minutes of playing, recording his third double-double of the season.[27]
On February 16, 2024, Podziemski played in the Panini Rising Stars tournament in Indianapolis for Team Pau.
Career statistics
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021–22 | Illinois | 16 | 0 | 4.3 | .421 | .231 | .750 | .9 | .3 | .1 | .0 | 1.4 |
2022–23 | Santa Clara | 32 | 32 | 36.0 | .483 | .438 | .771 | 8.8 | 3.7 | 1.8 | .5 | 19.9 |
Career | 48 | 32 | 25.4 | .480 | .424 | .770 | 6.1 | 2.5 | 1.2 | .3 | 13.7 |
Personal life
Podziemski is of Polish descent and has expressed interest in obtaining Polish citizenship in order to play for the Poland men's national basketball team.[28][29]
References
- ^ "How Brandin Podziemski became a top basketbal recruit in Wisconsin". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ "Brandin Podziemski is 'more than just a shooter' for St. John's basketball". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. February 6, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ "Brandin Podziemski proving himself as a top recruit. What's next for the UK target?". Lexington Herald Leader. February 3, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ Miller, Mark (2021-03-06). "St. John's Northwestern's Brandin Podziemski selected as 2021 Mr. Basketball by WBCA". Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ "Brandin Podziemski named 2021 Wisconsin Mr. Basketball recipient". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. March 6, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ "Brandin Podziemski 2020 - 2021 WISCONSIN BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR". playeroftheyear.gatorade.com. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ "Podziemski embraced challenge, secured Big Ten opportunity". The News-Gazette. April 13, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ "Brandin Podziemski". www.prepbaseballreport.com. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ "Brandin Podziemski's Baseball Recruiting Profile". www.ncsasports.org. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ a b "Santa Clara's star guard went from Illinois' bench to one of WCC's best in a year". San Francisco Chronicle. January 20, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ Richey, Scott (April 12, 2022). "Podziemski in portal". The News-Gazette. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ Wagner, Joey (May 6, 2022). "Former Illini guard Brandin Podziemski commits to Santa Clara". 247Sports.com. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ Meehan, Jim (January 7, 2023). "Gonzaga-Santa Clara key matchup: Broncos guard Brandin Podziemski enjoying breakout season". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ "Podziemski scores 30 to lead Santa Clara past EWU 84-72". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 8, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- ^ "Brandin Podziemski - 2022-23 - Men's Basketball". Santa Clara University. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ "WCC Announces 2022-23 Men's Basketball All-Conference Awards". wccsports.com. 2023-03-01. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ "Santa Clara's Brandin Podziemski named WCC Co-Player of the Year". San Francisco Chronicle. March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- ^ "Brandin Podziemski - 2022-23 - Men's Basketball". Santa Clara University. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ "Warriors Select Guard Brandin Podziemski With 19th Overall Pick in 2023 NBA Draft, Presented by HPE". www.nba.com. 2023-06-23. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ "Santa Clara standout Brandin Podziemski declares for NBA Draft". The Mercury News. March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- ^ "Brandin Podziemski talks NBA Draft, almost picking Kentucky". Lexington Herald-Leader. May 23, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ Kroner, Steve (June 22, 2023). "Who is Brandin Podziemski, the Warriors' 2023 first-round draft pick?". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ "Warriors Sign 2023 First Round Draft Pick Brandin Podziemski". NBA.com. July 3, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ "Brandin Podziemski '21 Sets Rookie Milestone for Warriors". St. John's Northwestern Academies. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ Winter, Jack (December 16, 2023). "Warriors rookie Brandin Podziemski 'earning his stripes' as full-time starter". ClutchPoints. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ Esnaashari, Farbod (2023-12-25). "Warriors Rookie Makes History vs Nuggets". Inside the Warriors. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ "Rookie Report: Brandin Podziemski records third double-double of season in loss vs. Bucks". Warriors Wire. 2024-01-14. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ "Podziemski może trafić do NBA i reprezentacji Polski. Nowa gwiazda koszykówki".
- ^ "Kolejny Polak w NBA? Brandin Podziemski ma zagrać dla naszej kadry".