Hield believes he has found his home in the NBA after a long journey with the Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – For Buddy Hield, the Bahamas will always be home. The food. The weather. The beaches and all the activities – from nightlife to a glass of rum to the freedom to jump on a jet ski.

When Hield was in seventh grade and entered a tournament as a 12-year-old, he knew that was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. His talent was already being talked about across the country. His hunger for more was as great as his love for taking as many pictures as possible, day after day.

Even in paradise, basketball became therapy from a young age. Pure, unfiltered joy.

But in the NBA, there were several destinations in Hield’s homeland. First in New Orleans for a short time, then five years in Sacramento, two years in Indiana, three months in Philadelphia and now San Francisco, where Hield feels most at home in his nine-year career.

Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco is a special reason why. He is the head coach of the Bahamas men’s national basketball team, a country that has enjoyed a historic rise in the sport. The Bahamas came one win short of reaching the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, losing to Spain in July.

Making it to the pre-qualifying tournament was monumental in itself, and Hield led the Bahamas with 19.8 points per game in their four games. Even though he is his coach, Hield considers DeMarco, who is just a few years older than him, a “big brother.”

“He made my decision to come here easy,” Hield told NBC Sports Bay Area on the latest episode of “Dubs Talk,” which debuted Tuesday.

DeMarco convinced Hield of how Steve Kerr handles players, as someone who has gone through the rough patch and won as both a player and a coach. On the other hand, the way DeMarco handled leading Bahamas was fiery yet calm, something that translated to an NBA team Hield wanted to play for.

DeMarco deserves a lot of credit for The Bahamas’ recent success at the national level.

“Without Chris we would have been back 20 years, who knows where,” Hield said.

Admittedly, the main reason the Warriors have felt so much like home for Hield is because he has always wanted to be here. Wears a Warriors jersey. Shooting with Steph Curry. Watching Draymond Green change the game’s defense.

Does not replace Splash Brother. But it adds to the legacy of the long ball in the Bay Area.

“I saw the Warriors play so many times, they were always on TV,” Hield said. “Over the years, I have fallen in love with watching Steph, Draymond and Klay (Thompson) and the way they play basketball. It’s random and they just figure it out. Steph, I always tell everyone this – I say, “If Steph hadn’t shot the ball so well, I probably wouldn’t have been drafted as high as I did.”

“He’s the reason I was drafted so high, because the NBA fell in love with the 3-ball. The timing was perfect and I was able to be drafted sixth.”

Every front office already knew what weapon Hield used to fire the ball, especially when playing three-on-one. Along with Curry, Thompson and a few others, he was one of the main faces of the 3-point revolution. He was also praised by Kerr, Curry, Green and numerous other members of the Warriors for his cheerful presence in the locker room.

“It’s a blessing to be in this organization,” Hield said. “They play so freely. And Steve is just so humble and poised. He never gets too high, he never gets too low, he just knows everything right.” He has a lot to say and understands the player-coach concept and can pass his message directly to the players in a good way.

“I’ve been around a lot of coaches and I’ve never seen a coach convey a message the way Steve did, and the message is always positive.”

Before Kerr, Hield had played for Alvin Gentry, Dave Joerger, Luke Walton, Rick Carlisle and Nick Nurse. The list includes some highly respected names in the game.

No one compares to Kerr for Hield. All the many experiences Kerr has had as a player are a main reason for this in Hield’s eyes. That’s why he understands what it’s like to play under contract. How it affects your mental well-being. Or in other words, the human element.

The human factor is not as simple as caring. It’s about drawing on your own experiences and still being willing to learn in order to grow.

“That’s what sets him apart,” explains Hield. “He knows how to convey this message to the team. It’s hard, but we’ll get through it together and he wants everyone to be successful on and off the basketball court and that’s what makes him a great coach.”

For Hield, home is also the place where the shots are fired. And where there is the freedom and encouragement to shoot them.

After playing in the NBA for nearly a decade, Hield has never been given such a green light since he won every accolade imaginable at Oklahoma. Kerr never said to him, “That’s a bad shot,” even though the sniper and the former top marksman knew it was a bad decision.

This is the mind of the shooter.

Kerr knew it and still knows it. Just like Hield, about as good as a very select company has ever done.

“Steve likes me to be a little crazy,” Hield says. “If you’re a shooter, you have to be a little crazy and you have to like that because you have to take hard shots and make them. Sometimes you miss more hard shots than you manage, but that’s why you have to be a little crazy to be a shooter. You work at it and believe in yourself. I think Steve just gives me the ultimate confidence to be myself.

“I’ve become myself again and don’t have to look over my shoulder when I shoot. If I don’t shoot, he’ll say, ‘You have to shoot that. You have to allow it.’ fly.’ It’s so nice to have a coach who gives you so much support.

The comfort of knowing the perfect dose of crazy. The joy of bringing the Bahamas to the bay. Buddy Hield is home.

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