The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Warriors GM wins with people skills
Myers’ instincts help his team reach third straight Finals.
OAKLAND, CALIF. — When Bob Myers hosts a dinner party, he is the guy who has a pretty good read on the entire evening: who had a great time, who held something back, which couples are getting along, who might be dealing with a life challenge but chose to keep it private.
“All those things go through my mind, without me trying to. Some people, none of that goes through their mind,” Myers said. “They ate, and did what they did. I don’t know why those things are. I don’t know how you are. We all have different intuitions and skills.”
Usually, he is spot-on. And his instincts also carry over to the workplace.
The Golden State Warriors’ general manager has that same kind of feel for his entire operation — from staffers behind the scenes, to the coaches, the MVPs and the role players, helping to forge a tight-knit team in its third straight NBA Finals.
“There’s a lot of things I have no clue on and then you bring people in to your blind spots and say, ‘Look, I’m not good at this, can you help me in this area?’” he said. “That’s also being selfaware. What does it mean? It just means we’re attentive to people. Everybody wants to feel appreciated. Everybody wants to know that they matter. We all matter in our own unique ways. So, does that help our team? I don’t know. It helps that we have really good players.”
Myers, a 42-year-old former sports agent, has found a balance being involved just enough in day-to-day operations — hands-on when needed while knowing when to back off.
One day, Myers stands in the middle of the center practice court meeting with Steve Kerr. He might be speaking to Andre Iguodala or Draymond Green. Another time, he leans against a back wall checking in with Mike Brown, who has been coaching the team during Kerr’s absence following a procedure to repair a spinal fluid leak stemming from complications after two back surgeries in 2015.
Myers does sit-ups on a stability ball while chatting up Stephen Curry, antsy for practice to wrap up so the GM can work out himself.
That genuine care for the person and not just the basketball player went a long way in Kevin Durant leaving Oklahoma City last July to join the Warriors. Sure, a star-studded roster didn’t hurt either.
“He doesn’t walk around like he’s the leader. We know he makes the big decisions but we work together, all of us, him and Steve especially. If you see Bob walking with a group of Warriors employees, you wouldn’t know he’s Bob Myers, the president of the team. He just fits in with everybody,” Durant said. “We talk so much about great leaders being just ahead of the pack most of the time, but sometimes that doesn’t have to be your personality. It could be encouraging, working with others, learning and listening. All those traits he has, and I think that’s why he’s ahead of the pack.
“That’s what drew me here.”