Joe Lacob had five words for his son, Kent Lacob, when he told him he was leaving the Golden State Warriors.

Warriors majority owner Joe Lacob on the sideline after a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Chase Center
After spending almost a decade with the team, Joe Lacob’s son, Kent Lacob, has made the decision to leave the Golden State Warriors.

Kent helped the Warriors through their championship run for the past ten years, but in his eyes, it felt like it was time for him to find some independence, according to The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II. Joe revealed what he said to his son when he told him that he was leaving.

“Well, that took some balls,” Joe said.

The reasoning for Kent leaving had nothing to do with any issues within the family, according to Thompson.

“Nothing is wrong. Nothing happened. Kent is adamant his departure isn’t rooted in family drama. The opposite, he assures.” Thompson wrote. “He loves this so much. Basketball. The Warriors. The family pride. The pressure to maintain the standard of excellence they’ve built.

“Always competing with the privilege, though, is a tugging at his core. The part of him that’s fully aware that every door he walks through is already open. His quiet disdain for the nepotism charges he can never shake, no matter how hard he works. Kent is a basketball nut who sometimes can’t believe the dream he’s living, working in the front office of the NBA. But even the glow of the Warriors can’t rid the shadow of his father’s enormity.”

There should be no shame in Kent that he is trying to build a life of his own. At some point, there could have been a chance that he inherited the team from his father, but it doesn’t seem like that’s something he’s looking at right now.

Now, Joe will have to find somebody to replace Kent, as the Warriors will be going through some changes. As far as the team, they could look different when the season starts as well, with Jonathan Kuminga’s decision still weighing in the balance.

Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.