Golden State Warriors Owner Joe Lacob Responds To a Fan’s Frustrated Email
If you thought you were losing sleep over the Golden State Warriors’ mediocre start to the season, take solace in one fact: Owner Joe Lacob is right there with you, doom-scrolling and stressing out.
Following a particularly brutal 136-131 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, a game where Steph Curry dropped 48 points, and it still wasn’t enough, the vibes in the Bay Area officially soured. One fan, 27-year-old Justin Dutari, decided he’d seen enough. He fired off an email to Lacob, venting about everything from the lack of a true center to the misuse of Jimmy Butler.
Usually, emails like this disappear into the digital void. Maybe you get an auto-reply from a “Fan Relations” bot. But this is Golden State, where the drama is always just as loud as the on-court play.
A Billionaire’s Candid Confession
In a move that feels equal parts refreshing and bizarre, Lacob replied to Dutari. And he didn’t wait a week; he reportedly hit send just two minutes later.
“You can’t be as frustrated as me,” Lacob wrote. “I am working on it. It’s complicated. Style of play. Coaches desires regarding players. League trends. Jimmy is not the problem.”
Let’s unpack that for a second. We rarely get this kind of raw honesty from the C-suite of a pro sports franchise. Usually, it’s all “we believe in this group” and “trust the process.” Instead, Lacob essentially pulled up a barstool next to a fan and admitted, “Yeah, this is a mess, and I’m trying to fix it.”
Is the Front Office Pointing Fingers?
The most eye-opening part of the email wasn’t the shared frustration; it was where the blame seemed to be directed. By mentioning “coaches desires regarding players” and explicitly stating that “Jimmy is not the problem,” Lacob seemed to be subtly nudging the spotlight toward Head Coach Steve Kerr.
The fan’s complaint specifically mentioned Butler being forced to play power forward because of the roster’s small size. Lacob pointing to “style of play” suggests a disconnect between the roster the front office built and the rotations the coaching staff is running. It is the kind of internal friction that turns a struggling season into a soap opera.
Kerr Plays It Cool
Naturally, once the email hit Reddit and went viral, Kerr had to address it. In true Kerr fashion, he tried to defuse the bomb with a shrug.
“Not a big deal,” Kerr said. “We’re all frustrated. Joe is frustrated. I’m frustrated. Steph and [Draymond], everybody’s frustrated.”
Kerr did, however, point out the absurdity of the modern era, where a private email from an owner becomes a headline. “Imagine if everyone’s emails were just publicly posted, how tough that would be to live our lives,” he said. It is a fair point, but it doesn’t erase the subtext: The man signing the checks isn’t happy with the product on the floor.
With the Warriors sitting at 13-14 and clinging to play-in hopes, this peek behind the curtain confirms what everyone suspected. The dynasty era feels miles away, the pressure is mounting, and nobody, from the bleachers to the owner’s box, is having a good time right now.
