Gators in NBA: Rookie Earns Game Ball in Debut with Warriors
The first time Will Richard stepped onto the floor for the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday he ended the night by earning the game ball.
In just 14 minutes, the rookie guard out of Florida went 2-for-2 from the field, including a corner 3, added a rebound, one assist and one steal to help Golden State defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 119-109.
Richard arrived in the NBA after a decorated college career in Gainesville. He transferred from Belmont after his freshman season and became the first commitment to coach Todd Golden and his staff at Florida.
He finished his Gators career ranked 33rd on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,275 points in 108 games and set career bests as a senior with 13.3 points per game, 80 3-pointers, 74 assists and 66 steals. In the 2025 national championship game win he led Florida with 18 points and eight rebounds.
Selected 56th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, Richard signed a four-year contract worth about $8.69 million, with the first two seasons fully guaranteed.
In his debut at Chase Center, Richard didn’t take long to make his mark. With 6:13 left in the second quarter he hustled to steal the ball from Deandre Ayton, pushed ahead in transition and fed Gary Payton II for an alley-oop.
He scored his first basket on a four-foot putback after grabbing a rebound off a missed 3 by Buddy Hield late in the third quarter. His second make, a corner 3 assisted by Stephen Curry with 5:40 left in the fourth, extended the Warriors’ lead to 15.
“I won’t hesitate to put him out there” coach Steve Kerr told reporters after a preseason win against the Trail-Blazers “I have a lot of confidence in him already”
In a conversation at practice earlier this week with Kerr, Jimmy Butler agreed.
“He knows how to play,” Butler told Kerr. “Will’s going to be good.”
Richard’s debut came on a night that also featured another former UF standout, veteran forward Al Horford, coming off the bench for Golden State. The 39-year-old, entering his 19th NBA season, scored five points and grabbed five rebounds in 20 minutes. Horford is in the first season of a two-year, $11.65 million deal with a player option for next year. Kerr said Horford’s minutes will be managed this season.
“Al is most likely going to play 50 to 60 games,” Kerr said. “He’s probably playing 20 to 24 minutes max.”
Horford, who won back-to-back national championships with Florida in 2006 and 2007, represents the championship legacy that Richard is now extending. The Gators’ recent run under Golden has continued that tradition with Richard, Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin forming the highest-scoring trio in program history … and now, all three are on NBA opening-day rosters.
Category: Basketball, Gators Men's Basketball, NBA
