When Bob Myers knew Warriors tenure was headed toward final chapter
When Myers knew Warriors tenure was nearing an end originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Bob Myers officially announced on Tuesday that his 12-year Warriors tenure will end when his contract expires on June 30.
And while speaking with Bay Area reporters later alongside Warriors owner Joe Lacob, the well-respected general manager and president of basketball operations explained when he came to the emotional decision to depart from the team.
“[In] 2019 we had been in the Finals five years in a row -- and that’s a lot,” Myers said Tuesday afternoon. “That’s exactly what you want. That’s exactly what you do it for. I had to figure out then what was left. Finals take a lot out of you. So four years ago I thought, ‘Can I keep doing this and how can I keep doing it?’ I talked to Joe, he said ‘What do you need?’ and we brought [assistant general manager] Mike [Dunleavy] in. It’s only because of the help I’ve had over the last four years.
“But you think about it, I’ve thought about it. But really I wanted to go through this season just focused on the season and then when the season ended, I started thinking, ‘Do I have what is required to do it the way I know it needs to be done?’ And it’s a personal thing. For me, it was hard ‘cause it’s so public. I don’t love that it’s so public. But I get why it is. I just wish you could leave a job like most people and your reasons are your reasons. But I started thinking about it when the season ended and had thoughts prior but really when the season ended.”
Before Myers made his decision official, many believed that if he walked away from the job it would be to spend more time with his wife and three daughters.
On Tuesday, he didn’t directly name family as a reason for his exit but added that every choice he makes goes through more than just himself.
“Well, every decision is a family decision,” he said. “But if I stayed, my wife would support me. My family would support me.”
Myers told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that he declined ownership's offers of a new contract that would have placed him among the NBA's top-earning executives.
The 48-year-old made it clear that his decision had nothing to do with money, so then why?
"I have so many different things, emotions that I'm still processing, but the bottom line is this job -- the one I'm in, and I would say this for any professional general manager or coach -- requires complete engagement, complete effort, 1000 percent," Myers said. "And if you can’t do it, then you shouldn’t do it. That’s the answer to the question of why.
"I can’t do that to our players, I can’t do that to Joe and Peter [Guber], really, I can’t do it to myself. And that’s the question I’ve been wrestling with. I appreciate your patience letting me make that decision."
Myers didn’t share what the future holds for him, but whatever it is, surely he will find success in it.
