Transcript: Moses Moody on playing through his injury, losing Looney, and future improvements

2025-07-18 interview

2025-07-18 Moses Moody, 95.7 THE GAME, Willard & Dibs

Mark

What was the experience like in Vegas?

Moses Moody

Yes, it was cool. It was fun as it always is, just being around, seeing everybody around the league, just in the same hotels mixing. I went to the NBAPA events that they had there. Worked out with the team. It was a good time.

Dan

Yeah, always fun. And Mark and I were out there broadcasting and sitting out there on the concourse. It's kind of neat to just see the people walking by, and it's like, oh, there's so-and-so. And it's got to be even more so that way for you, knowing so many people in the association and able to rub elbows with people that you don't often get to see.

Moses Moody

Yes, it's cool. I didn't even realize how many people I knew in the association. But there's so many even like front office guys or people that they worked with the Warriors and now they work somewhere else and you haven't seen them since. It was just a lot of cool stuff.

Mark

You've been named to the NBA Players Association Foundation's board of directors. I'm curious, how did this come about? 

Moses Moody

Yes, it happened kind of randomly. So they called me during the season at some point telling me that I was nominated and they would be doing a vote amongst the board that they have now, and they said I was voted in. So then they kind of asked me, did I want to do it? And I was down for it. But I'm just on the board. So just going through those decisions when it comes to when it comes to like the grants that the NBAPA matches and just decisions, you know, that goes through the board. I'm a part of that decision-making process.

Dan

So are there meetings? Is it done by Zoom? And is it something where you actually take some time out of your regular day? Like, what's the commitment like to go out there and do all these great things?

Moses Moody

It's not too strenuous. So we talk a couple of times a year, obviously going to Summer League also, I think, and a couple more calls throughout the year where we're just updated on everything that's going on. And decisions going forward.

Mark

I know you've had a pretty busy offseason. I saw you were in Morocco last month. Was that related to this and your new role on the board of directors? Or is that something separate? And what did you do out there?

Moses Moody

It wasn't related, but it was the NBAPA that was doing classes out there on impact investing. So I just went and learned about that as well as experienced a new country and a new culture that I never had before.

Dan

What'd you think of Morocco? Pretty cool, huh

Moses Moody

Yeah, I enjoyed it a lot. We went to the souk. It's like a type of outdoor marketplace, but um like you're so you're supposed to go out there and negotiate prices with the locals, like whatever price they give you isn't the real price and you're expecting to negotiate. So that was fun. That was cool getting to do that. As well as just going around seeing stuff. I really enjoy talking to people and walking around the street.

Dan

What kind of a negotiator are you, as it turns out?

Moses Moody

I was pretty good. I was pretty good. So my first problem was that I didn't realize the translation into American money. So I thought I was doing better than I actually was. In the beginning, I thought I did a good job, but I realized I didn't. So once I got that figured out, I was a lot better.

Mark

Well, lost in translation there a little bit. Maybe that hurt you, but your skills as a negotiator are there. Maybe you could offer some help to Mike Dunleavy in the front office this offseason because they're in the middle of trying to get some deals done.

Moses Moody

Oh, yeah, I got some good practice now, so I can offer my skills wherever they're needed.

Mark

That's awesome. We also learned that you dealt with a serious injury to your shooting hand towards the tail end of last season, a torn UCL in your right thumb. You had surgery to get that repaired, and I would imagine you're in the rehab process right now. First of all, what was it like having to play with that torn UCL in your right thumb? Down the stretch of the regular season and in the postseason. I can't imagine that was an easy thing to do.

Moses Moody

Yeah, it was really tough. I didn't know it was torn at that point, but I just I couldn't really use it and it hurt to catch the ball, to dribble the ball, all of that type of stuff. But I mean, I could play around it. And I make it a point to say, like, if I'm going to play, then I'm not going to say, okay, every time I mess up, it's because my hand hurts. Like, then that's the case and you shouldn't play. So it was just that. It is what it is. We're trying to make the playoffs going down the stretch. And if I knew it was torn, I probably would have said it now, but no, we had to make the playoffs. So that's what that was what it was. And now it's a rehab process. I'm pretty much back now. I've been on the court shooting and dribbling like normal stuff.

Dan

That's great to hear. I wonder what that's like when you have an injury that hurts, but it's not so debilitating that you absolutely can't play. How do you go about making that decision as to whether or not to keep playing or to try to shut it down?

Moses Moody

Yeah, it's a tough decision when it's something that's serious. but you can play. Because it's like when it happened, I'll admit, I'm always someone that's going to downgrade an injury. So like in the explanation, I probably could have explained it better on what it was. If I’d known it was torn, then I probably should have went ahead and did something. But I mean I feel like it worked out pretty good. It wasn't too debilitating where I couldn't play and I didn't make it much worse. So I think it was for the best.

Mark

What did that injury specifically affect?

Moses Moody

Yes, so that ligament really is your thumb when it comes to like I couldn't palm the ball. So pretty much anything using your thumb. But I made ways to shoot without my thumb and then I would catch the ball without it hitting my thumb. It was weird in the beginning, but once I started doing it enough, that became kind of my new normal. And now I'm trying to teach myself to start using my thumb again.

[Apricot: This was a terrifying paragraph. Hope his shot goes back to normal.]

Dan

How much are you looking forward to year five and taking another step forward in your career?

Moses Moody

Yes, I'm looking forward to it. I like the situation we had. I like the situation we finished with. Obviously, it didn't work out like we wanted to down the stretch. But overall, I think we had a really good year, especially after the deadline. So I think we found something that we can lean on going forward and just kind of see how it plays out.

Mark

Within the fan base, a lot of frustration, I guess, because there hasn't been any movement in the offseason in terms of additions to this roster. But let me know what you guys and everyone on the team think because from the outside looking in. It kind of seems to me like what the team feels is necessary is just improvement on the margins because you got Jimmy Butler in here, and you guys were so good to close the regular season. If Steph didn't get hurt, who knows what happens in the postseason. So do you and the team feel like what was needed and what is needed this offseason is more smaller things on the margin as opposed to a major overhaul?

Moses Moody

Yes, I agree. I mean, I feel like we had to make something happen and we did. And I think the ability to do that at the time that we did was impressive. So you hate to try to come fix everything and then you make it worse than it is before. I mean, we found something that worked. We leaned on it when we needed it most and it worked out for the most part. So I think that is something you just have to build upon. Don't fix something if it's not broken.

Dan

No real big additions yet, but we do have some subtractions, including your old Joga partner, Kevon Looney. How much is that going to hurt just personally to not have Kevon around anymore? And are you eyeballing somebody else to be your new Joga partner?

Moses Moody

Well, it's going to be tough losing Kevon in so many ways. He's been here since I got here, and he's the person he's been. For the team, for me it is unmeasurable. So he definitely can't be replaced in any way. And that’s including the Joga room. So but the way that he looked out for me and brought it to my attention, made it accessible. He even paid for me to do it for my first year of Joga. Um so you know, just extending that out to guys coming in the way he did to me and he didn't put pressure on me to do it. So same thing with Chapel, going to Chapel before the games. He told me he was going, and it was up to me to go if I wanted to or not. So the mindset is to keep going, is to just keep that legacy going.

Mark

What are you focusing on this offseason? Where do you think you gotta make the biggest step forward?

Moses Moody

I would like to play with the ball in my hands a little bit more, so being able to come off pick and roll as well as just play in action if that's exactly putting me as a screener. Maybe even getting the rebound, pushing it up the floor, making something happen, cross-screening, things like that. So just being comfortable being in the actions and making myself useful to the team in different ways as well as continuing my on-ball defense presence. I found something during the year, so just continue to grow and build on that as well as always shooting.

Dan

You got Morocco. You got Vegas under your belt. You still have a pretty good, decent amount of summer left before you get into training camp. What do you have planned other than staying sharp and getting fit? Do you have any other fun and exotic trips planned, Moses?

Moses Moody

Well, I've been all over the place. I went to the Dominican Republic. I went to the land of Buddy Hield in the Bahamas. I went to London. So I've been all over the place a bit already, but next on the books is Little Rock, Arkansas. I spent some time there just a couple of weeks ago, and it was really good to be there with nothing that I have to do, just being home like it was growing up for some time, hanging out with my family, my little cousins and stuff, taking them to the court. So that was all that was all fun. And I got my camps coming up this next week. where Draymond is going to be coming back to the city. He's coming to my camp. And yes, that's next on the agenda.

Dan

That's awesome. Sounds like a fun summer. I wonder if you've had any Jimmy Butler time because Jimmy, toward the end of last year in the offseason, said, I'm going to spend time with all my guys. Have you gotten any Jimmy Butler time in your summer plans?

Moses Moody

I haven't yet, but I'm going to be training in LA a lot later on, so I'm sure I'll run into him there.