Competitive ‘rage,’ belief, determination: Warriors’ Spencer takes on Summer League with brother Cam

LAS VEGAS — As Cam Spencer caught a kickout pass in the corner, eyes peeled to him. The 10 eyes of the Dallas Mavericks defense. Onlooking scouts and coaches in a cramped Cox Pavilion arena. Two eyes, 10 rows up in section 118 across the way from Spencer’s jumper, lit up more than any others.

“Knock it down,” Cam’s biggest fan, Pat, said as the Grizzlies rookie’s shot swished through the net.

A possession later, Cam kept the ball moving and relocated across the court to the wing for another open 3. “Automatic,” Pat said.

Pat, the Warriors’ 28-year-old playmaker, watched Cam’s every move. His eyes were the most attentive in the gym. He implored Cam’s teammates to pass his brother the ball (trailer, find him; trailer, find him). He muttered words of affirmation (good shot, bro).

“We’re like best friends,” Pat told this news organization. “We do everything together. Obviously, we have distance between us, with him being in Memphis and myself out in California, but whenever we get a break, we’re together. Out here in Vegas, we’re together all the time. Back home, our day-to-day is either working out, playing ball together, golfing together, grabbing a bite to eat together — everything.”

When Pat watches a game, he likes to lock in. His parents, Bruce and Donna, sat a section over from him, having made the trip from Maryland to Vegas to watch their sons. They held their breath in the second half when Cam rolled his ankle and eventually was ruled out.

Like a sore ankle or the shoulder stinger that prevented Pat from playing three Warriors Summer League games, there are going to be obstacles for the Spencer brothers.

Pat played four years of college lacrosse — he’s still the all-time NCAA assists leader — before making the switch to his ultimate dream of basketball at Northwestern, so he still has limited high-level basketball experience compared to many of his peers. Cam, 24, had a five-year college career, crescendoing last season with a national championship at UConn, but rookies his age rarely get an extended look.

They’re used to being overlooked. They’ve slipped in the draft and raised dismissive eyebrows. Yet here they are, each on two-way contracts at Summer League, having achieved their dreams of playing at the NBA level. They’ve pushed each other this far.

“We’ve believed in them all along,” said their dad, Bruce Spencer. “From our perspective, we feel like they can make their dreams happen, and if this is what they want, they’re going to work hard to get there. They’re going to be able to compete, they’ve got the competitive fire to do it. The tenacity. It’s just hoping that others see the things we see in them, and that some of their coaches have seen in them all along.”

Growing up, the Spencers had a pop-a-shot hoop in their basement. Neighbors would come watch a 3-year-old Cam throw the ball, overhead, into the hoop over and over again, for half an hour at a time.

He was copying Pat, his older brother.

“People were mesmerized,” said Donna Spencer, their mom.

Pat and Cam played all kinds of sports, but basketball was always their true passion. It was their mom’s, too, and she put a ball in their hands as soon as she could.

They grew up in a neighborhood with lots of kids around their ages, and pickup games in their driveway became frequent. As idyllic as the scene sounds, the games often ended with their neighbors evacuating as Pat and Cam’s competitive juices and brotherly love spilled over.

“I’m not sure what they told their parents when they went home, but whatever it was, it was worth it,” Bruce said.

Games would devolve into 1-on-1 bouts between the brothers. Pat, four years Cam’s senior, had the upper hand. Games between them often didn’t finish, instead ending with a shoving match. Both have what their dad calls a competitive “rage.”

The brothers still play 1-on-1 after workouts, and the all-time leaderboard has evened out over the years as Cam bridged the age gap with elite 3-point shooting.

“We’re ready to kill each other when we’re competing against each other, but we’re each other’s biggest fans when we’re not,” Pat said.

While Cam completely dedicated himself to basketball, Pat went to Loyola and became one of the greatest lacrosse players ever, winning the Tewaaraton Award. Basketball remained on his mind, but he felt the need to fulfill his commitment to the school.

After four seasons of lacrosse domination, Pat transferred to Northwestern to hoop. He used transferable skills — teamwork, vision, spacing, and change of speed — to make the transition seamless. He averaged 10.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.

Impressive production, but worthy of an NBA look? The league was skeptical. Pat was not. On senior night at Northwestern, he hugged his mom and told her, “I’m not done yet.”

“Maybe not,” Donna said when asked if she believed him then. “I wanted to believe him, and of course as a mom, you hope that they can get their dreams. But logically, I didn’t think that – wow. I never really thought that would happen. So, shame on me. Not that I doubted him, it just seemed like that would be a (long shot).”

Pat got picked first overall in the Premier Lacrosse League draft, but stayed the course with basketball. He joined a pro team in Hamburg, Germany before latching on to the Wizards’ G League affiliate. With Golden State last February, he signed a two-way deal and appeared in six games.

“I think it just confirmed my confidence and my belief in myself that I belong out there, and given the opportunity, I’ll prove that,” Pat said after the season.

All the while, Cam was making a name for himself at Loyola. He parlayed three years with the Greyhounds into a season with Rutgers, where he established himself in the tougher Big Ten. For his fifth year, he transferred to UConn, helping the Huskies win their second straight national title.

Perhaps more than any workout, 1-on-1 session or postgame feedback, Pat showed his younger brother what’s possible.

“Especially since he’s watched Patrick chase that dream, I do think yeah, he grew to have that same dream for himself,” Donna said. “He’s learned a lot from Patrick.”

Watching Cam play now, Pat searches for ways to help him improve. He knows how big the adjustment is from college to the NBA. The spacing and speed are different. After games both brothers bounce ideas off each other, valuing different perspectives.

With the Grizzlies, Cam’s hereditary competitive fire has already made an impression. His new teammate, GG Jackson, described him as a “(expletive) dog,” and said he only calls him “National Champion” instead of his name.

The Summer League schedule didn’t match the Spencer brothers up against each other — a relief for their parents — so the only way they’ll meet would be in the championship.

If the Warriors and Grizzlies don’t play in the Summer League championship, at least Pat got to lock in for a few games from the stands.

“I’m just a proud older brother,” Pat said. “I think we know how hard he worked, how hard we’ve both worked. As brothers, we just push each other to be the best we can be. So to see it pay off for him is really cool.”