While growing up, ballers want to be compared to and follow in the footsteps of the best in the world. There are still young kids shooting hoops and calling ‘Kobe’, or those doing the shimmy like Stephen Curry after knocking a three-ball. But not many are known to emulate Draymond Green, and that’s something the Warriors legend is aware of.
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Green is a unique player. He’s one of the best defensive assets a team could dream of having, and at the same time, can be a liability. The reason? Inconsistent shot making and on-court behavior.
So, when a parent comes up to Green and tells him that they see them playing basketball like him, he understands what they truly mean. For those who have actually said it to Green, the man has a brutal roast ready for them.
“Sometimes parents come up to me and go like, yo my son plays just like you,” Green said on the Unguarded Podcast. “And I think to myself, like, ‘Yo son is a**.’ Because I know what you’re saying, right?”
Green, whose No. 23 jersey will one day be retired by the Warriors and will likely have a statue dedicated to him outside Chase Center, has had a career kids would dream of replicating. He’s a former Defensive Player of the Year, a four-time All-Star, and a four-time NBA champion. He was also a core part of a dynasty that sent shivers down the spine of most in the NBA.
Still, if a kid is compared to him, Green doesn’t particularly see it in a great light. Maybe the parents are trying to portray their children as hustlers who are dedicated to the craft and would do anything to defend their team. Green, however, doesn’t agree. Perhaps he knows he has a mindset, or a style of play, that cannot really be replicated.
Or Green believes the parents are simply branding their children as mediocre talent, something he would never entertain.
Post-2022, when the Warriors last won a ring, Green hasn’t been the same. He’s been involved in more ‘anger management’ conversations than DPOY discussions. He punched Jordan Poole in the face, which effectively punched Poole’s ticket out of San Francisco. He also fought with Jusuf Nurkic on court and put Rudy Gobert in a chokehold, which earned him a weeks-long suspension.
Still, overall, Green’s greatness cannot be debated. He’s not the same player he once was, but in his prime, he was truly one of the best defenders the league had ever seen.
