New Contract Details I have agreed to sign a 5 year contract with the Warriors, and I am very happy about it!

My Ninth NBA Season!

This season will mark my ninth in the NBA, which is something I consider a remarkable career. The average lifespan of an NBA player is four years and I have been able to double that number with more years to come.

For me, nine years in the league is an astonishing accomplishment any way you look at it. The fun part is I still feel like I'm getting better. That, to me, has always been the sign of whether or not you enjoy what you do and that you constantly continue to grow. There have been a lot of people that I have met along the way that have completely and fundamentally changed my life. Every year, you grow a little bit. In basketball, you grow in leaps and bounds in just six months. And I think it's because of the confines of that existence ­ it's very high-wired, it's very high paced. And you come in contact with so much and you're put through so much (how to deal with media, how to deal with your personal life). Things like that seem to crash down on top of you in just six months. Looking back at my years in the league, I came in here as a frightened rookie. And to see how I've grown and how I continue to learn is probably one of my biggest accomplishments. .

As I said, I still have room to grow. Going into this season, I think I'm a better basketball player than I have ever been my entire life. When it comes to the word "potential", it's not that important as it was when I was younger because everything that I have done stands on its own right in any place (Warriors leading shot blocker). If you look at any player in this league ­ from the rookie to the 14-year veteran, you will always say to yourself: "He can improve in this particular area". At this point for me, it's more about improvement than potential. The potential part has surpassed for me. I know how to play defense, I know how to score and I know how to shoot. Now, it's just about improving each day. Basketball presents many obstacles. And that really helps nourish your mind. At the same time, it can cause you a lot of frustration. It is a constant battle to be stable and balanced, trying to find equilibrium and trying to figure out where that level is. For me, I have grown a lot mentally over the past nine years. And I have become a man on the basketball court. There's no better truth than that.

If I could do it all over again, there's nothing I would have changed. Because one of the things I did well is I made decisions based on the information I had available. Anyone can make a right decision because you can only make it with what information you have.

- Adonal