The last we saw Nick Young was at the parade celebrating the Warriors’ third NBA championship in four years. He was rocking the blazer-with-no-shirt look.
Until he got warm and went undressed from the waist up.
Young, (Swaggy P to his friends, and everyone seems to be his friend), returns to Oakland on Friday night to receive his championship ring prior to the Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers game at Oracle Arena. He averaged 7.3 points in 80 games in his only season with the Warriors.
Swaggy is a happy-go-lucky spirit, but he figures to feel some gravity tonight, receiving his first championship ring in a 12-year NBA career.
On Thursday, Warriors coach Steve Kerr recalled Young’s season with the Warriors fondly. Especially the key 3-point shot that helped the Warriors beat Houston in Game 7 of the conference finals.
“Biggest moment of the season,” Kerr told KNBR. “It didn’t surprise me at all that Nick knocked down that shot because Nike doesn’t care.
“I’m fired up to see Nick. I just mentioned his name and like three people started laughing and smiling.”
Alas, Young didn’t find much to smile about this season, NBA-wise. He was unable find a taker for his services — mainly firing the 3-ball — over the summer. After the Lakers lost their season-opener last fall Swaggy, who spent four seasons with the team, tweeted what some took to be a plaintive plea for a job. He quickly deleted the tweet.
He hooked on with Denver in December when the Nuggets were suffering a rash of injuries. He played four games, scoring nine points, before getting waived.
And that was the extent of his action this season, unless you count the day he kicked a would-be fan in a sensitive area and took off with the guy’s phone, all because he didn’t want his picture taken.
