Becoming a father while being an NBA star is a tough balance. The league requires you to be on the road for a large portion of the year, traveling to cities across the country in pursuit of basketball dominance. But when the call comes in that your wife is in labor, the game can take a backseat. For Draymond Green, however, ball comes first.
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The Warriors forward recently stated that he would be unable to travel back home if his wife Hazel goes into labor during the team’s recent road trip. Even MVP candidate Luka Doncic flew back to Slovenia to be with fiancée Anamaria as they welcomed their second daughter.
Draymond has since faced some criticism. He admitted that he feels “sh***y” about potentially missing the birth of his newest child, but it seems obvious that if he asked for time off it would be granted. This was mentioned on the latest edition of No Fouls Given on Playmaker, where retired baller Danny Green shared his thoughts on the matter.
Green passed no judgment on Draymond and said he understands that he is trying to be there for his team, who are currently fighting for 8th place in the West.
“I mean this is number 4 for Draymond right? I think it’s number 3 or 4. No judgment here. I’m not speaking on anybody else’s behalf. You choose what you choose. You love the game your job. I love the game too, I love the job,” began Green, who immediately let it be know that there is only one case that he would miss the birth of his child.
“But to me, I’m not missing it unless it’s the playoffs and we’re down or tied. That’s the only way I feel like I’m missing the birth of my child. If we are down in the playoff series.”
This prompted the show host to wonder about the specifics of Green’s hypothetical. “So if your team is up 2-0 you’re going?” he asked.
“I’m for sure going,” Green responded. “If it’s 2-1 going. If we’re up by any game.” Honestly, that’s a fair reason. The pressure of a postseason can be damning, especially in a grueling series. Just goes to show you that each contest really is its own fight, and that gaining any kind of advantage is something to hang your hat on.
Green then reiterated, “Regular season I’m out. That’s just me. There’s a lot of things that can happen.”
It all circles back to the simple truth that every player has to draw their own line between family and the game. Doncic made his choice, Draymond is wrestling with his, and Danny has his own rules for when basketball outweighs everything else.
None of them are wrong. They are simply navigating two worlds that do not always fit neatly together. As the season grinds on, moments like these remind us that even the biggest stars face the same real-life choices the rest of us do, only under a much brighter spotlight.
