Draymond Green is not the kind of guy who hurts for confidence. With the career he’s had, who can blame him? He’s been the beating heart of the Golden State Warriors, a four-time champion, a nine-time All-Defensive team selection, and a four-time NBA All-Star.
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On the court, Green is known for his bravado. He’ll trash-talk opponents, rile up opposing crowds, and give the refs an earful, all in a night’s work.
Sometimes that lands him in trouble, as he’s always among the league leaders in technical fouls. More often than not, though, it’s his attitude that has been one of the keys to the Warriors’ success.
Green stopped by the latest episode of The Pivot, and he confessed to host Ryan Clark that the stories he’d read about him were true. One time when he was three years old, he rode his bike down to the grocery store and got a bag of chips. Rather than paying, he dropped them on the counter and said, “You know who I am, I’m Draymond Green.”
Green’s grandpa had to go down to the store to pay for the chips, but the incident was emblematic of how confident he was in himself, even at such a young age. That confidence has carried through his entire life. When he got to the Warriors and starting winning NBA championships, it wasn’t a new thing.
“I’ve been a champion my whole life,” Green said. “I won in middle school, I won in high school, I won in elementary.”
Even with all that success, it’s still a lot to take in. Green is 35 and still has some years left in him, but looking back, he understands how improbable his journey has been.
“It’s a crazy journey,” he said. “Although I felt that way at times, I still can’t f****** believe it really happened.”
Green has been a troublemaker his entire life, but it’s a product of the self-confidence he’s always possessed. Given how things have always worked out, why change now?
The Warriors had a tumultuous season. They got off to a 12-3 start, then fell all the way back under .500 in February. Trading for Jimmy Butler flipped their fortunes, as they cruised into the playoffs and even dispatched the 2-seeded Rockets in the first round before running out of gas against the Timberwolves when Steph Curry got hurt.
Butler and Green have similar personalities on the court, and they meshed well together. With an entire summer to jell, plus time for general manager Mike Dunleavy to make some moves and Steph to get fully healthy, they’ll be a team to watch next season, even in a loaded West.
