Getty Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors embraces teammate Quinn Cook during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena.
Former Golden State Warriors backup point guard Quinn Cook is widely known to be one of the nicest guys in the NBA. He played for the Warriors from 2017 to 2019 and helped the Dubs win the title in 2018. The good luck continued when he joined the Lakers during the shortened season and won his second title in the NBA bubble.
Since then, he has struggled to stay in the NBA. The Lakers cut him in February 2021, and he had a brief 20-day stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He signed a training camp deal with the Blazers at the start of this season, but because of a nagging calf injury, he was cut after two preseason games in early October 2021. In late October he joined the Russian league, playing for Lokomotiv Kuban for a couple months before returning to the United States in December.
Now, he finds his way back to playing professional basketball in California.
The Sacramento Kings G-League affiliate, Stockton Kings, announced February 26 that Cook has signed a G-League entry contract with the team.
Stockton Kings Add Quinn Cook
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Cook’s goal is to sign back onto an NBA team, and his new contract is a step in that direction. He told Grant Liffmann on “Dubs Talk” in January 2022 that because of his calf injury he was “shut down all summer” and during training camp his “calf just wasn’t right,” but after returning from Russia he was “just working out, trying to stay right.”
Cook Compares His Own Journey to Thriving Warriors Guard
After spending four years at Duke, Cook went undrafted in the 2015 draft. He spent the next two years with the Canton Charge and managed to parlay that impressive time to land brief contracts with the Mavericks, Pelicans and Hawks. Eventually he played his way and saw a two-way deal from the Warriors, and from there he spent the next three seasons making a name for himself with Golden State.
During his early-January appearance on “Dubs Talk,” Cook talked about watching guys like Gary Payton II that come up like Cook. Payton never gave up on his goal to play in the NBA. Similar to Cook, he was undrafted in 2016 and immediately played in G-League. Over the years, Payton II had brief appearances with the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards before landing the 15th roster spot on the Warriors this season and carving out a significant role all season long.
Perseverance, the relentless drive to force their way onto NBA rosters, and making a drastic impact on teams are common themes in how players stick in the league. The Duke guard sees a lot of similarities in how Payton is thriving this year with the team and spoke at length about it.
“Guy like GP gives me motivation,” Cook told Liffmann. “We’re the same age. … I know his story, I know how many times he been in the G-league, I know how many 10-day contracts he’s been on. It’s all about fit. It’s all about fit. I can remember talking to him our last training camp, telling him how proud I was of him because me and him, we always get people coming up to us like, man, ‘y’all never quit, y’all never quit.’ … When you can see other guys going through that struggle with you, you can appreciate it, and he’s flourishing. … It’s all about timing and he’s figured it out and he’s having a heck of a season.”
Quinn Cook’s Close Bond With Andre Iguodala
Andre Iguodala has only played in 26 games this season, but the 2015 NBA Finals MVP has been an integral part of the Warriors throughout their dominant run from 2015-19. Many young players have pointed to his mentorship and advice as helpful in their growth in the sport.
On “Dubs Talk,” Cook shared how his close relationship with Iggy started.
“How me and Andre [Iguodala] really hit it off was, you know I always took pride in being in the gym like late at night, early in the morning, whatever, so a couple times I go in at night, I just hear a ball bouncing and I’m like, ‘Who’s this, like, who’s beating me at my game?’ It was Andre. … Maybe 13, 14 years in, 15 maybe … but he still had that work ethic. This is December and he getting ready for April, May, June, not just physically but in his head.”
Even after Cook left the Warriors, he and Iguodala remained close.
“He allowed me to start working out with him, he started inviting me to the house, and my mom became really tight with his mom. … He always calls me even to this day. … Even when we were in the bubble, he made sure we ate lunch or dinner once a week. … He’s definitely a big brother for me and I wouldn’t be here without him for sure.”