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“Draymond Green, if making history was easy, why bother?”: When Kobe Bryant motivated the DPOY with a text that inspired GSW to come back from a 3-1 deficit vs the Thunder

Advait Jajodia
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“Draymond Green, if making history was easy, why bother?”: When Kobe Bryant motivated the DPOY with a text that inspired GSW to come back from a 3-1 deficit vs the Thunder

Back in 2016, when the Warriors faced the brink of elimination, Kobe Bryant sent an inspiring text to Draymond Green, motivating them to complete a come-from-the-back series win.

Back in 2016, during the playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder faced off against the 73-win team Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. Much to everyone’s surprise, Kevin Durant and co. managed to get hold of a 3-1 series lead.

After suffering the 118-94 Game 4 loss at the Paycom Center, it was Kobe Bryant who sent out a text to Draymond Green motivating the Warriors DPOY to come out stronger the next few games and pull off one of the most unreal feats in Playoffs history – come back from a 3-1 deficit.

According to Dray, Kobe wrote:

“If making history was easy, why bother?”

Also Read: Draymond Green claps back at the Grizzlies superstar as he continues his celebratory barrage

“It’s 100% right, it ain’t easy, it’s a struggle”: Draymond Green on the text Kobe Bryant sent him

In his “UNDISPUTED” series, Dray further spoke about the text and how it motivated the Warriors to upset OKC.

“I got a text from Kobe and he said, ‘If making history was easy, why bother?’ It’s 100% right. It ain’t easy. It’s a struggle. I got to make sure it builds character, and we got to make sure it builds character,” Green said. “And so, I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’ve never backed down from a challenge, and this team has never backed down from a challenge. We won’t start now.”

What happened next? The Golden State Warriors played some resilient basketball for the remainder of the series. Winning the next 3 games consecutively, Steve Kerr’s boys went on to upset the Thunder to win the Western Conference Finals.

Also Read: When Kobe Bryant confidently brushed the Nets superstar aside as a formidable opponent

About the author

Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia

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Advait Jajodia, an NBA and Tennis journalist for The SportsRush, has had a passion for both sports for over a decade. His admiration for Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and Rafael Nadal pushed him to gain a profound understanding of the sports. With a background as a multi-sport athlete, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood and the court to offer insightful analysis. Over three years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 22-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 4,200+ articles.

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