Draymond Green has become infamous for his on-court antics. The Golden State Warriors star has received plenty of technical fouls and suspensions, resulting in over $1 million in fines. Of course, Green is responsible for his own actions, yet he places the blame on Richard Jefferson for shaping him into the player he is today.
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Believe it or not, Green wasn’t always a hot head. During his collegiate career at Michigan State, Green didn’t tally a plethora of technical fouls. Once he entered the NBA, he tried to carry over that same habit. However, his very first time scoring in an NBA game would go against that intention.
Draymond scored his 1st NBA basket in his 8th game, where he knocked down a three-pointer against the Atlanta Hawks. Immediately after, he received a technical foul for taunting. Although he now has a reputation for taunting apologetically, in the moment, Green was quite distressed.
“After that basket, I was crushed because if you remember, it cost me $2,000,” Green said on The Richard Jefferson Show. “I hadn’t gotten my first check yet. And all I had was my $31,000 advance that I had to buy furniture with.”
Green was just a rookie, that too a second-round pick, which meant he didn’t have the financial means to cover the financial burden that technical fouls cause. He was on a trajectory to rectify his attitude until Jefferson, who was then a member of the Warriors, gave Green some precious advice.
“When I first came into the league, I’m like, ‘I can’t get techs.’ And RJ was like, ‘Yes, you can,'” Green said in an interview with Jamal Crawford on The Draymond Green Show.
It turns out Green took Jefferson’s words quite literally. Jefferson forgot he said such a thing to the eventual four-time NBA champion. He had no idea the impact those words would have. As a result, he issued a formal apology for his actions.
“This is my official apology for what we have witnessed. All of the championships, Defensive Player of the Year, technicals, suspensions, and ejections. I apologize. It’s my fault. I created Draymond Green,” Jefferson proclaimed.
Green couldn’t contain his laughter while Jefferson continued on his spiel. Of course, Jefferson and Green understand that he isn’t the one solely to blame. Nonetheless, that advice did have a bit of an impact on Green’s demeanor.
Fast forward to today, and Green has become synonymous with technical fouls. As much as the four-time All-Star may try to change, it has just become a part of his identity.
