Golden State Warriors Infuse Organization’s Staff With Former Champions

KEY POINTS

Leandro Barbosa and Shaun Livingston were called back to the Golden State Warriors as part of the staff
Barbosa was a former sixth man of the year winner and was a member of the 2015 championship team
Livingston was a three-time champion with the Warriors and is the new director for player affairs and engagement

The rebuild of the Golden State Warriors includes more than just the playing roster as the organization’s staff recently signed former champions Leandro Barbosa and Shaun Livingston. The NBA veterans will fill in specific roles to contribute to the Warriors’ road back to the top of the Western Conference.

For Barbosa, he will join Steve Kerr’s staff as a coach and a mentor to the younger players.

"He's been my coach, when I was here he also was my friend," Barbosa said by way of ESPN.

The former sixth man of the year was given the monicker the Brazilian Blur for his immense speed on the court. The six-foot-four guard was part of the 2015 Warriors squad that won against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"We had a really close relationship when he was a GM for the Phoenix Suns, so every once in a while we used to talk. And he mentioned to me what I want to do after I played and I always told him that I wanted to be an assistant coach, not a head coach, but be able to talk to the players, kind of teach them, I think I'm kind of good at that,” Barbosa added.

In Livingston’s case, he’s been selected as the director of player affairs and engagement, per NBC Sports.

The manner of how Livingston turned his career around remains to be one of the more inspiring careers in recent NBA history. Known as an all-around guard, he suffered a freak accident that tore his ACL, PCL and meniscus. Despite those major injuries, he rallied through the pain and managed to end his career as a three-time NBA champion with the Warriors.

The two former players were big pieces to the Golden State dynasty. While they weren’t the stars of the team, they were important figures that helped the Warriors maintain their success. Their presence now as authority figures with the team will hopefully help the Warriors find their way back to dominance.

It will be interesting to see how the Golden State can bounce back in the coming years with these signings. They currently have the right to draft the second overall pick in the upcoming draft and they’re seeking to find ways to return once again in top form.