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Jonathan Kuminga #1 of the Golden State Warriors hugs a Golden State Warriors security guard before their game against the New York Knicks at Chase Center on January 15, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
The spat between the Golden State Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga reached a new level of pettiness on Wednesday when ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported that the Bay Area franchise took exception with a person from Kuminga’s camp for “taking too much food” from the family room at Chase Center.
Slater’s report described the events leading up to a Dec. 10 afternoon conversation between Kuminga and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
“Kuminga was prepared for the conversation. He knew management wanted to ding him for missing a team-requested event and alert him that someone around him was taking too much food from the family room,” Slater reported.
“The gripes between player and organization, as multiple sources said, had become “petty” in the fifth year of a relationship many believed should’ve ended years before.”
Buddy Reacts to Warriors Controversy
The Warriors finally ended the toxic relationship with Kuminga by trading the Congolese forward and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline.
While Kuminga reacted to ESPN’s report with several laughing emojis, his Hawks teammate, Hield, had a more interesting reaction. The veteran sharpshooter jokingly blamed Jimmy Butler III, his beloved former teammate, for the “food” controversy.
“They lying it was Jimmy,” Hield wrote, along with several laughing emojis.
Hield and Butler had developed what fans and teammates described as a “buddy cop” or “frenemy” relationship during their time as Warriors teammates. As such, his clever jab at Butler is the least bit surprising.
Stephen Curry Backs Kuminga
Warriors star Stephen Curry feels Kuminga has been dragged into another unnecessary controversy, as he questioned the authenticity of the ESPN report’s details.
“I’m sorry, bro,” Curry wrote on IG. “This is ridiculous. Go be Great!”
Other senior Warriors stars, such as Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, have repeatedly endorsed Kuminga as a consummate professional and a model teammate. Shortly after Kuminga was traded, Green explained why the Congolese forward got a bad rap during his time in Golden State and would thrive in another situation.
“When you’re the seventh pick in the NBA draft, you usually go to a place where they’re going to give you the ball, they’re going to allow you to make a ton of mistakes, and you grow through those mistakes in hopes that you become a key, cornerstone, franchise piece to the rebuild of the team that drafted you with the seventh pick,” Green said of Kuminga, via NBC Sports Bay Area.
Furthermore, Green felt Kuminga “was dealt” an unfair hand by landing on a Warriors team with a sea of veteran players and a championship culture.
“You’re usually not drafted to a team that’s good enough to compete and win a championship that year. That’s the hand Jonathan Kuminga was dealt,” Green said.
Kuminga (left knee bone bruise) will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break and could make his Hawks debut at some point within the next few weeks. There’s no guarantee he will be on the Hawks beyond this season, as there’s a Team Option on his deal for 2026-27. The Hawks will reportedly assess his fit over the summer.
Meanwhile, Hield made his Hawks debut in Monday’s 138-116 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The sharpshooter is signed through the 2027-28 season.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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