The Brandin Podziemski story this season has been bizarre. A solid defender with some playmaking chops and a decent offensive repertoire, he has been a victim of fans’ expectations and the ceiling he set for himself.
He’s also been at the receiving end of a hilarious trend from the fan base. After scoring 30 points for the first time in his career, he had to acknowledge that ongoing social media joke, despite losing to the Sacramento Kings.
Brandin Podziemski Finally Scores 30 Points for the Warriors
A first-round pick for the Golden State Warriors in 2023, Podziemski quickly cracked the rotation for head coach Steve Kerr. As a valuable defender, he immediately carved out a role for himself.
However, with the team moving on from a franchise icon in Klay Thompson during the 2024 summer, many expected him to take over that role as second fiddle. Unfortunately, it didn’t come to pass.
Even though his numbers saw a slight improvement, he didn’t become a bona fide difference maker for the Warriors. As a result, he’s fluttered in and out of the starting lineup through all three years of his career.
His improvement trajectory has continued this season as well. With both Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler missing extended periods of time throughout the year, he has become a 13.7 points-per-game scorer with solid efficiency.
Yet, he was part of an unfortunate streak, one that took on a life of its own on social media. A Golden State fan made an entire account dedicated to Podziemski (even calling it Podziemski’s Gravity), with his claim to fame being a post that read, “Not tweeting until Podz scores 30.”
The problem was the timing of the post, as he made it on Nov. 24, 2024. For nearly a year and a half, the account has lain in hibernation while Podziemski has failed to eclipse the 30-point threshold, despite coming awfully close multiple times.
Finally, the streak ended on April 10, 2026, when he finished with exactly 30 points against the Kings. Even though it came in a 124-118 loss, his excitement was clear in the postgame interview.
“That’s why I smiled a little bit. They’ve been giving me a hard time about it the whole year. It’s cool, that’s for sure,” he said regarding his teammates.
In that timeframe, the original post has gotten over 32 million views.
Brandin Podziemski speaks about how he feels after finally reaching 30 points 😅
“That’s why I smiled a little bit. [Teammates] been giving me a hard time about it the whole year… The account will be activated.”
(via @kenzofuku) https://t.co/xTWVzuQdKn pic.twitter.com/Y8KjYZ1hr6
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 11, 2026
“The account will be activated now,” he said, finishing his press conference with a cheeky shot at the account. While he hasn’t climbed the levels that he set for himself early in his career, Podziemski has become a valuable piece of the puzzle for the Warriors.
Assuming they can have a healthier season in 2026-27, he could play a key role in how they fare.
