The End of a Warriors Era
The End of a Warriors Era
Reflecting on the fleeting nature of dynasties and cherishing moments of greatness
One of the most successful dynasties in professional sports history ended yesterday.
Klay Thompson, one of the greatest Golden State Warriors ever, was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for two future second-round draft picks.
Two second-round picks. Is that really it? Are we done? This isn’t how anyone imagined the Steph, Draymond, and Klay dynasty would end.
This was the once-in-a-lifetime team that revolutionized the NBA by setting records for three-pointers, often shooting from incredible distances, and challenging the league with their innovative small-ball, positionless play style.
I remember reading an article four months ago when Steph stated that he was certain that he, Klay, and Draymond would end their career with the Warriors.
"A hundred percent," Curry responded when asked if he thinks the trio will be Warriors for life. "I think that's always been a motivator for us, and I think the way that we talk about it is we not only want to end our career as a Warrior, continue to compete at a high level, but you want to end it the right way.
Four months ago, this was Steph imagining the perfect ending. Just four months later, the dynasty is done.
You can never foresee these things when times are good. And the Warriors had it good for so long.
You don’t have to be a basketball fan or even a Warriors supporter to feel emotional about this announcement.
Maybe you grew up in the Bay Area, like me, cheering for the hopeless Warriors.
Or perhaps you lived in the Bay Area at some point between 2011 and 2024 and watched one of the worst teams of all time become one of the best. If so, you likely remember a time when life in San Francisco felt simpler and the tech industry was more optimistic.
Or maybe you've never lived in the Bay Area, but you've experienced something magical in your life that felt like it would never end.
A championship-winning sports team in high school, a perfect relationship, or a startup that achieved success.
I was fortunate to be part of a dynasty in my career.
I joined Tinder as the 55th employee in 2015. We grew into one of the largest consumer companies ever, breaking nearly every industry record.
On April 7th, 2018, I vividly remember celebrating the release of Tinder Gold, a blockbuster hit that boosted our market cap by billions in a single day.
The early morning champagne toast in Los Angeles marked the culmination of many years of hard work and success, along with some painful moments.
Our founders had been pushed out of the company. We faced numerous existential crises where it seemed like the company might not survive. This could be a book, but I’d never write it myself because I prefer to remember the good times.
One of my teammates, Brian Norgard, told a packed room, “We should enjoy the moment because it won’t be like this forever.”
Brian might not remember saying this, but his words sobered me up instantly that morning. I hadn’t imagined that our dynasty would one day end, but as soon as Brian said that, I knew he was right.
A few months later, there were changes in the management team, and teammates who had celebrated our record-breaking years in that room were gone.
The company continued to win, but things felt different. We didn’t dream as big, and my job shifted to optimizing what was already working rather than building the future.
I left the company 18 months later — and it really does end fast.
A sentimental email to the company. A five-minute visit to our IT team to return my computer. Some hugs.
Just like that, the record-breaking years ended faster than I could have imagined. That dynasty ended for me.
As the Klay news dropped yesterday, I saw many people debating when the Warriors dynasty actually ended. Was it…
June 10, 2019, when Kevin Durant tore his Achilles during Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors? He left us for the Brooklyn Nets about a month later.
June 13, 2019, just three days later during Game 6 of the NBA Finals, when Klay Thompson tore his ACL and tried to keep playing?
November 18, 2020, a little over a year later, when Klay tore his right Achilles during a workout while rehabbing the ACL?
Or was it October 5, 2022 when Draymond Green famously punched Jordan Poole during a Golden State Warriors practice. This was during training camp the year after Steph, Klay, and Draymond miraculously won a 4th championship as a third seed against the Boston Celtics.
Some people said that the Warriors dynasty ended yesterday when Klay was officially traded, but the truth is that dynasties end over the course of many years and many moments that you wish you could get back.
If you’re a diehard Warriors fan like me, you wish you could reverse time and change so many moments to watch the team you love play together one more time.
But then you realize that what makes a dynasty so special are the struggles, mistakes, and hardships you must overcome to build anything worthwhile.
Injuries and egos are part of being human, and few championship teams become a dynasty that wins again and again.
In your career and life, you will hopefully have moments where you feel championship level success.
You might even be part of a dynasty for many winning years. When that happens, remind yourself that it won’t last forever. And celebrate with champagne.
A dynasty ended yesterday — and now a new journey begins.