Draymond Green is many things: a 4-time champion, an Olympian, a defensive juggernaut, and a successful podcaster. The latter is a questioning statement of itself, considering he’s known for his crazy hot takes. Especially when he called Memphis Grizzlies coach, Taylor Jenkins, “ a softie” for being emotional over a foul call. Ironic due to Green being a well-known “emotional” player. This man is frankly a hypocritical person who lacks awareness of the depth of his words – and trust me, this is not the first nor the last of deeply concerning incidents.
In All Star 2025 week, the event was already a hot mess. From participants visibly not showing effort on the court to Kevin Hart unnecessarily roasting players live on air, it was understandable why the event was reported as the second least watched All Star Game in NBA History. One instance being when Draymond Green publicly denounced the rising players for not showing enough pride, almost as an old man yelling at the clouds moment. There was a bit of truth to the statement, but he doesn’t realize the reason why those up and comers aren’t putting enough effort is due to those kids witnessing Draymond’s contemporaries (Ex. Kawhi, James Harden, etc.) either load managing or choosing to decline appearing at the All Star game. It’s an example of NBA’s media coverage being abysmal when it comes to respecting the game.
In Addition, Draymond made another off base comment when criticizing Knicks All Star, Karl Anthony Towns. He claimed that KAT wasn’t playing in their March 4th Knicks vs Warriors matchup due to Jimmy Butler playing that night. Out of context, it’s a foolish thought for a grown man to not play due to fear of another man but this is how Green thinks. In reality, Towns did not play because he was at a funeral of a personal friend. On March 18th, the teams faced each other again with KAT back in the lineup. At the post conference, when asked about KAT’s return, Green showed remorse over his previous statements. Green reframed his statements as motivation for KAT to perform to the best of his abilities. Basically, taking credit for KAT’s 30-point performance and only apologizing to KAT’s deceased friend. A very twisted array of events unfolding between our eyes.
Overall, this should show that Draymond Green should be anywhere near media coverage. In fact, he’s strikingly similar to the analyst he has critiqued. Such as Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley, who have echoed similar sentiments in regard to the modern landscape of the NBA. This should be a cautionary tale for any future broadcasts such as NBA on Peacock and Amazon to be wary of integrating personalities like Draymond Green to the fold. Personalities such as Draymond Green not only bring eyes to the game but hurts its marketability to potential demographics.
