Fansided

David West discusses why he chose a shot at a ring over a big contract

By Nam Tran

Jun 4, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) shoots against Golden State Warriors forward David West (3) during the second half in game two of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 4, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) shoots against Golden State Warriors forward David West (3) during the second half in game two of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Golden State Warriors’ David West explained why he decided to forgo a big paycheck for a chance at winning the NBA Championship.

David West began his NBA journey back 2003 as a power forward coming off the bench. A couple years later he became a starter and was joined by Chris Paul. With the help from the new point guard, West became a reliable scorer who was also an aggressive defender and tenacious rebounder. West continued to improve and this earned him two back-to-back trips to the NBA All-Star game in 2008 and 2009. This also earned him a big chunk of money.

When his contract with the Hornets expired, West decided to sign with the Indiana Pacers for four years and $44 million. Again, his knowledge and skills continued to grow. However, he wasn’t winning any championship titles. So when his contract with the Pacers expired at the end of the 2015 season, he did something not many players in his position would do – he signed a minimum veteran’s deal with a top team (the San Antonio Spurs) so that he could get a chance at winning the title.

But in the 2016 Playoffs, the Spurs lost in the second round to the Oklahoma City Thunder. So, West packed up and joined the Golden State Warriors.

After an impressive season, the Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, and West finally got his title. When asked by NBATV’s David Aldridge why he decided to forgo millions of dollars for a chance at getting the title, West gave an inspirational answer.

Per The Score:

"“Look, you can’t take it with you,” West begins. “The Egyptians learned that. You can’t bury and take the treasures with you. It’s about the small things in life, the accomplishments. It’s about winning. We set a goal, we worked every single day toward that goal, and nobody can ever take that away from us.”"

Next: 30 worst NBA playoff teams of all time

Though West’s contract with the Warriors is going to be up soon, it is probably very likely that he will re-join them in the offseason and chase another title.

Home/Golden State Warriors