In this end‑of‑season interview, Warriors guard Gui Santos reflects on a pivotal year marked by personal growth, a shift in his on‑court role, and the challenges the team faced. He highlights a memorable post‑trade‑deadline game in Phoenix where coach Steve Kerr designed a pick‑and‑roll play for him, signaling his evolution from a high‑energy role player to a more structured contributor. Santos discusses his recent contract extension, noting the security it provides his family while emphasizing his drive to improve—specifically his defense, free‑throw shooting, three‑point consistency, and ability to draw fouls. He praises Steve Kerr’s coaching, crediting Kerr’s player‑first perspective and his leadership through a season riddled with injuries, and expresses a desire to stay with the core group of Kerr, Steph Curry, and Draymond Green. Santos pays tribute to the late Brazilian legend Oscar Schmidt, describing his impact on Brazilian basketball and the national pride he inspired. He recounts mentorship from fellow Brazilian veterans Leandro Barbosa, Anderson Varejão, and coach Thiago Splitter, noting how their work ethic and guidance shaped his path to the NBA and his hopes for more Brazilian talent, including his brother, in the league. The interview closes with a light‑hearted note about his upcoming wedding planning, showing his excitement for life beyond basketball.
Chapters
How you doing, guys? Good, good.
You took such tremendous strides in your career this season. What do you think you're going to remember most from this year?
Man, that was a tough year, you know, a lot of adversities. So, but at the same time, if you look to the personal standpoint, that was good for me. So I have an opportunity to grow. When the opportunity shows up for me. I was just like ready and working a lot on my game so I can show a little bit more what I can do. And I think the favorite moment for me is like, I was talking about that too with the coaches. We were in Phoenix, that game right after the trade deadline. And that was a special game, you know, I had the layup to to like us to get in front. Like, I think it was 797, and it was 9799, us. But when Steve draw up a play for me for the first time, and I was like, oh, damn, that's like, that's different now. Like, I'm not just being, you know, a guy like crash and energy guy. He was like, draw a play, and Gui, you got the ball, and you play the pick and roll. That was, I think, my favorite moment, like, that I realize how much my role has changed on the team at that time.
You obviously, you got your extension done, you know, during the season. Does that change anything for you going into the summer knowing that you have that security that you're going to be here? Like, how does that affect your prep?
So for me, with extension, it was great. Like I told you, like I told you guys, it was great. The great feeling. Now you got the security that my family is good, you know? So that of course give us the security, a little bit more security, but at the same time, I'm a, I'm the type of guy that I always want more, you know. So, now I got the security. Now I got to make sure that I play and I help the team more than I did this year, you know. So, for me, that's going to be a big summer to work on a lot of stuff that I got to get better, you know. A lot of stuff that I need to do more for the team, you know, because now my role changed a little bit. So, I think the extension for sure give me a little of— A little more confidence. Like, you know.
Yeah, just to follow on that, what do you want to work on this summer?
So, keep working on my defense. That's the thing that I always like when you play defense well, it's never a problem. And another thing that I want to do better is getting to the line a little bit more, maybe. You know, I grew up playing FIBA, and there, there is no like, you know, some calls they have in the NBA, so I'm not used to that. That was the first year that I have the opportunity to have the ball, drive a little bit more, so I will work a little bit on that more. Don't try and get around guys to finish, more like go into and bump and get more calls, you know. Defense, that, and keep working on my free throws. I could have a better free throw percentage this year. And 3-point shots to be more consistent every night, making shots every night. Yeah, I think that's it.
Gui, obviously the big question for you guys is Steve's future. Just what has he meant for you with your time here?
Man, Steve is a special guy for me, you know. Like, he was the coach that gave me my first opportunity to play in the NBA. So that's like a guy that He, like, realized a dream for me, you know? So he was a big part of it. And the way that he coaches, you can see, like, one thing that I always like about, like, guys that was player and now he's a coach, like, he understand the players very, very well. So the fact that he was a player and played a long time in the NBA, been in the NBA for a long time, he really understand everything that the players, you know, go through. So— Yeah, I love that, and like I said, Steve is really, really special dude for me. I want to be coached for him like my whole career if I can. Kind of to that point, Steve had that long hug with Draymond and Steph after the game. What was just your perspective on what happened after your guys' season kind of ended there? I just saw that in social media. I didn't saw that in person, but I don't know exactly what. They, you know, what they have in mind there. But like I said, man, it's just like a special group. They did so much for the organization. Steve, Steph, Draymond, all of them be like a big part of the organization, you know? So have all them around for the next years for me would be great. I love, like I said, I love being coached by Steve. Draymond, I love have Draymond on the team. And Steph, I don't even need to say nothing about him. Steph is Steph, you know, so it would be great to have all of them together next year too.
We haven't talked to you since the passing of Oscar Schmidt. As the only active Brazilian NBA player, I was wondering if you have any reflections on what he meant to you and to the game.
So for me, Oscar, I never watched him play. I'm too young. So I think the year that he finished his career in 2003 was the year that I was 1 year old. So I don't— didn't really watch him playing. But Oscar was a lot for, you know, for Brazil. He meant a lot for everybody because I think he put Brazil on the map when you talk about basketball because what— nobody knew Brazil for basketball before him. And that was just soccer. But then Oscar come in Olympics, he was scoring 45, 50 points, 40, 50, 55. And, you know, the fact that he's the second best, second guy to have most points in the history of basketball, he's just behind LeBron, it tells a lot. You know, Oscar, Holy Hands, like he's known in Brazil. He was a big— Big thing for all Brazilians. And you could see, like, in Brazil right now, the only thing they talk is just Oscar. You know, he had a big and huge impact for us. Like, he's kind of like Pelé of basketball for us. And, yeah, just, like, it was a hard time for all of people that love Brazil— to love basketball in Brazil. So Oscar is really, really the biggest idol in the biggest people guy in the basketball history for Brazil, so nobody can be like him again.
[FOREIGN LANGUAGE] Thanks for doing this.
Hello, hello.
What did you like about the resiliency of this group, you know, through all the injuries and ups and downs and different starting lineups and how you guys kind of kept it together through so many heartbreaking injuries and—
You know, that was, like I said, that was a very tough season because of the injuries. And what I love the most about this group is You could see us, like, we were fighting every night. Even without our main players, we were trying to win. I think that's the biggest thing because we were not trying to, you know, lose games. Every game that we stepping on the court, we just trying to win. It's tough when you don't have your main players on the court, you know. Like, you could see if we don't have Steph in the playing game against the Clippers, we probably not winning that game because nobody can do what he does, just stepping in. Hit a crazy 3-point. That was what we miss the most part of the season, you know. But the way that we fight on the court, the way that everybody just give everything every night shows a lot about this group. And that was my favorite part of this group too.
And how did you see Steve kind of keep it together too? I mean, he had to improvise with different rotations and lineups what seemed like every single game.
Yeah, so it was really tough for him, you know. Like, even when— It was not just Steph and Jimmy out or after like Moses out. It was every day something happened with somebody that was like Moses has like the wrist injury. I had the injury in like by the end of the season, I have a little injury that I was dealing too, you know. So it was a lot of diversities. So it was really hard for him to make up and just trying to fix rotations, but— You know, I can't say nothing. I can't say nothing about that because he's great. He knows, like, he got 4 rings as a coach. So yeah, he knows everything that he was doing and he did his best with what we had in hands by the time.
And now do you go to wedding planning? Is that right?
Or are you— what's your schedule now? So I'm actually just being invited for my wedding because I don't know nothing. Who knows everything is Julia. She's making everything. She's doing everything. So she's shown me, like two options. I don't know, like you say, oh, I got this option and these options. Which one you like more? I say, which one you like more? So I like that. Oh, this one is the best. I agree. So that's how I'm doing right now. I'm just like agreeing with everything that she shows me, but that's gonna be a good time, a great time, you know? So I'm excited for that.
Felicidades.
Gracias.
Hey Gui, how you doing, man?
Good, good.
When you were drafted, Leandro Barbosa told me, he said, "Give him a couple years, 2 or 3 years, he's gonna be fine. He's gonna be fine." What was your time with him like? What did you learn from him? And I know you guys have had many conversations over the years.
So with him, when I got here, he went to Sacramento, so we didn't spend a lot of time together in the NBA, but I spent a lot of time with him when he was playing in Brazil. Yeah, he was like playing the end of his career in the club that I was playing the beginning of my career. So the fact that he was there and I was watching his game a lot, you know, watching the way that he works, the work ethic of him, like every day he was there early. He was like, he made a lot of money in the NBA. He was just like, you know, he could just like do nothing and just be a, 'cause he has a, Like, big name in Brazil. You know, Leandro is big in Brazil, so even here in America too. But when he went there, he's still working. He's still doing everything right and showed me that, okay, even with him, with his life set, he's been working. So I don't have nothing. I got to work way more than him so I can have more opportunity to go to the NBA. By that time, I was just thinking about have opportunity to be in the NBA. And after I got here, You know, he was in my draft workout too with the Warriors. And just having him like helping me, talking to me during my career, during the time that I was in Brazil was great because I learned a lot. I was asking him a lot of stuff about NBA and a lot of like how the NBA works, you know? And he was like, you gotta deal with a lot of stuff. You're not gonna play. That happened to me. He said, "You're not gonna play for 1 month, but then you're gonna have opportunity to be a star in the next day." So you're gonna start the game the next day and you gotta be ready and you gotta go there and perform. And that happened. So with that mentality, not just him, but a guy that helped me a lot with that was Anderson Varejão. I talked to him a lot and he was talking to me about that. Like in the beginning of his career, he was not playing too much. But then he got opportunity to play. He proved that he can play. He can help the Cleveland by the time. And he was there for like, he turned into an idol there. Yeah, so he came here, played here one year. But I learned a lot from the guys like Thiago Splinter too. He's like coaching, the first Brazilian to coach NBA team right now. First coach to go to the playoffs from Brazil. So really, really proud of what Brazil been doing right now in NBA. I hope that we can have more players. Yeah. Next couple years. We're gonna see my brother here in a couple years too. Yeah, that's the goal. So, that's good. That's amazing.
