"It was like trying to hold on to the tail of a dragon" - Bob Myers reveals why he left Golden State and signed with ESPN

Bob Myers stepped down as the president of basketball operations and general manager for the Golden State Warriors at the end of the 2022-23 NBA season. Myers' tenure at the Bay Area resulted in the franchise's most successful era, winning four NBA championships.

In an interview with Shayna Rubin of The Mercury News, Myers explained why he decided to leave the Warriors after 12 years. He wanted to spend more time with his family and the demands of his job in Golden State were very exhausting despite the success.

"The Warriors thing, I've used this example before, it was like trying to hold on to the tail of a dragon," Myers said.

"It was a ton of fun, but a ton of work, and I admire any executive that can kind of keep it going for 20 years. I did 12, and I just felt like for me, I had to stop."

Bob Myers started his basketball career as a sports agent in the early 2000s. Some of his clients included Brandon Roy, Tyreke Evans, Brook Lopez and Kendrick Perkins. He was hired by the Golden State Warriors in 2011 as their new assistant general manager.

Myers was promoted to general manager after one year and began his tenure by drafting Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green. All three were a key part of the Warriors' championship run in 2015 before Green became a part of the franchise's "Big 3" with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

The UCLA product also pulled off the signing of Kevin Durant in 2016, which resulted in two NBA championships. When Durant left in 2019, the Warriors bounced back by acquiring Andrew Wiggins. The former No. 1 pick finally realized his potential and helped Golden State win the 2022 NBA championship.

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Bob Myers now works as an ESPN analyst

Bob Myers currently works for ESPN.

Bob Myers signed a deal with ESPN to become an analyst and commentator for some NBA games. Myers made his debut for the network on Sunday at "NBA Countdown." It was an awkward first show, as it involved the Golden State Warriors.

Adrian Wojnarowski reported an update on Klay Thompson's contract negotiations with the Warriors, something Myers would have been doing had he hadn't left. Myers told The Mercury News that it's a tough job because of his history with the franchise.

"It's hard for me to have a ruthless opinion about things over there," Myers said. "It's tough. I tried my best to say, 'Look, maybe I was saying it would be hard for me. But it would have been hard for me to do that negotiation.'"

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