Chef Podz strikes again. Barely a couple of days after fans noticed a distinct shift in his mannerism, a viral video circulating across social media has placed Brandin Podziemski under the microscope. The Golden State Warriors guard who claimed he wanted to be Stephen Curry sparked another intense online debate following Friday’s preseason victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
During the second quarter, with Golden State holding a 44–36 lead with 7:40 remaining on the clock, Podziemski hit a three-pointer while drawing contact and falling to the floor right as he converted a dramatic four-point play. While getting back up, the 23-year-old guard held up four fingers, an outright impersonation of Stephen Curry’s iconic four-point play celebration, down to his superstar teammate’s body language.
The viral celebration follows another recent moment from earlier in the week during Golden State’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. Cameras and fans caught Podz walking around between possessions while chewing on his mouthguard in Curry’s trademark style.
The repeated mannerisms come on the heels of the Warriors demonstrating immense long-term faith in Podziemski, who repeatedly showed aspirations to be the next franchise centerpiece after Curry. The Warriors rewarded his ambition by securing him to a fully guaranteed five-year, $110 million rookie-scale extension.
The contract keeps the 19th overall pick from the 2023 NBA Draft in the Bay Area through the 2031-32 season, positioning him as a core backcourt pillar as long as Curry is on the team. On the floor, Podziemski backed up the financial commitment by putting together a solid preseason, including a 17-point outing in Friday’s 128–118 win over Portland.
However, his tendency to adopt Curry’s physical quirks and court celebrations has drawn sharp scrutiny from a fan base growing weary of the uncanny mimicry. Many spectators expressed concern that the young guard is leaning too heavily into imitating his legendary teammate rather than developing his own identity on the court.
Warriors fans want originality from Stephen Curry impersonator
Dub Nation is already iffy about Brandin Podziemski not backing the tall aspirations about becoming Steph Curry. So his second consecutive demonstration of The Chef’s mannerisms looks like a cheap imitation on social media, without the consistent on-court production. Fans were quick to explode over Podz’s 4-point celly, with opinions split between frustration at his lack of originality and lighthearted trolling about his online persona.
Watching Podziemski break out Curry’s celebrated four-point play signal while the team held an eight-point lead in the second quarter drew immediate pushback from fed-up fans, stating, “We ain’t doing this s— .”
Others viewed the behavior through a comedic lens, believing Podziemski saw the reactions to his mouthguard skit at the Lakers game and is intentionally leaning into social media tropes to rile up critics. “Podz is just ragebaiting y’all… He definitely reads the tweets lol 😂”.
The repetitive nature of his celebrations sparked widespread calls for the young guard to steer away from Curry’s legendary shadow and bring more personal flair, writing, “He just copies curry.. be original”.
Anticipating what signature gesture Podziemski might adopt next, one observer theorized, “I’m speechless. This dude is really gonna hit the shimmy next.”
Meanwhile, some fans defended the young guard by framing the mimicry as an inevitable byproduct of spending years studying under one of the greatest point guards in basketball history. A fan offered a humorous defense of the habit, commenting, “laugh all you want, but that’s just Steph tryna lengthen his career in a younger body”.
However, the prevailing sentiment remains that Podziemski’s actions are a deliberate embrace of the attention, as a fan concluded, “Podz is pulling an Uno reverse. He’s acting like it’s a rage bait when it’s really what he wants to do all along.”
With the Warriors set to open their 2026–27 regular season against the Lakers on October 21, Podziemski will remain in the spotlight as he aims to prove that his $110 million extension is backed by genuine star power.