Chris Paul and Draymond Green trace their North Carolina roots back to Steph Curry, sharing how Paul connected Curry with his hand surgeon during a 2019 injury. They reflect on years of rivalry before Paul and Curry became Warriors teammates, closing a chapter that started with childhood camps and family trips to Disney World.
Chapters
So I come into the league, Warriors were the laughingstock of the NBA. And I walk in the locker room and I meet Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. And I'm working out with these dudes and I'm like, yo, these dudes are special, man. I've never seen nobody shoot the ball like this.
You came in a year after Klay's rookie year.
Yeah.
Okay.
Right after the lockout.
'12, yeah, yeah.
And I'm like, these two dudes are special. Let me figure out what I can do to help these two dudes. Like, and that was my goal from the beginning. As you come in, you start to see the lay of the land. You start to realize there's prior relationships. There's this, there's that. This guy know him, this guy know that. And so I learned through the grapevine that CP and Steph are close. I'm like, okay, cool. That's cool. Nice. Yep. They saying these dudes is the next young dudes out the West. I got to figure out how to change this relationship if I can, because What I learned is, you know, y'all both growing up in North Carolina, families knew each other, y'all knew each other, had a really good relationship. Me being the young, call me dumb if you want, I would say I was young and dumb. You come into the league, you don't know what you think you know. And so you come in young, dumb, and I'm like, oh, CP is going to definitely use knowing him and being the big homie against him. "Let me see how I can get in between this and cause some arguments and break this shit up." In a weird way, kind of not really. But I said all of that to say, what's it been like for you to watch Steph? Like you get drafted, you take him under your wing, y'all working out together, all of those things. He come into the league, ankle injuries, the whole nine. Again, me knowing you now, I'm sure you was texting him, "Hey man, like stick through it. Like, because I just know who you are." He young, he coming into the league. I know you were offering that. Stick through it, gets healthy, starts to come up, come up, obviously become who he's become. Y'all have battles and all that. Talk to me about the relationship, like the steps along the way with you and Steph.
It's crazy, man. 'Cause I done known Steph for a long time, right? Coming through North Carolina and Seth, Like don't even leave that out, Seth. And then Dale, you know what I mean? So my agent when I first came into the league was Jeff Austin.
Okay.
I didn't know that. You didn't know that?
Nope.
I did not know that. So Jeff Austin was my agent when I came into the league, Jeff Austin and Lance Young. I was with Octagon. Then Rudy, Rudy Gay was too. And then obviously Steph. So I ended up leaving after my 5th, 6th year in the league when I went to CAA, but I kept my financial advisor, a guy named Frank Zeka. Shout out to Frank. Frank is me and Steph's financial guy or whatnot. But when Steph got drafted, I used to have my camp. I used to have my elite camp or whatnot. Yes. And so the very first year I had my elite camp, Steph came to camp. He was nice. Eric Bledsoe, nice, nice as hell. And so my family went to Disney. World in Orlando, my wife, like Lil Chris, my parents, everybody. And Steph went with us. Steph went to Disney World with us and we worked out and all that. So our relationship was always cool. And I mean, just like, I mean, you know, I got 13 of my kids that play in the league and I seen Steph as a kid, but he was from North Carolina. You just tried to look out, help whoever it was.
Yeah.
And so, It was crazy to see, I mean, I forget about the ankle injuries 'cause I just remember how damn good he been. You know what I mean? And it's crazy the battles start happening, our teams or whatnot.
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But it was just, it was the Warriors. It wasn't ever like about me versus Steph or nothing like that. 'Cause Willie, right? Remember when Willie became one of y'all coaches?
Absolutely.
Willie is my family. When Willie became one of y'all coaches, me and Willie stopped talking.
You know what I mean?
Like for real, for real. So, I mean—
Willie Green. Yeah, Willie Green. For those of y'all who don't know.
But Steph just kept getting better and better. And I mean, like, it wasn't like it was a surprise to me. You know what I mean? 'Cause he always worked like that and he could shoot it. And then the way that you guys team, like y'all played with an edge. We did the same.
Yeah.
And obviously, like you said, you wanted to build this ref or whatever. It is what it is. The game was the game. Obviously people blew things up. I mean, with Steph, When did he hurt his hand?
He hurt his hand in 2021, 2020-21 season.
Yeah, yeah, that's when I was in— No, I'm sorry, I'm lying.
No, that's right. He hurt his 19-20.
19-20.
Trust me, I suffered through that year. We were miserable. I was suck, I was miserable.
That's when I was in Oklahoma.
Yes.
'Cause I remember I was at my condo and as soon as I saw he hurt his hand, I sent him a message. To put him with my hand surgeon. I'd had 4 hand surgeries.
Really?
Yeah. So I hit Steph to try to make sure he got with Dr. Shin and tried to get with Mo, the same person I'd had 4 hand surgeries.
I met Mo. I feel like he used Mo, right?
Yeah, yeah.
He ended up using Mo.
Yep, yep.
I met him.
So Mo did all 4 of my hand surgeries and my rehabs.
Okay.
You know what I mean? And that's just, trust me, we done battled, battled like hell. Like, I mean, you know, like, my wife was at his wedding, they was at my wedding or whatnot. But to see him become the player that he is, is dope, man. Obviously I've been on the wrong side of some of them losses and I'm mad as hell. I was mad, I mean, big mad, you know what I mean? But now getting a chance to be teammates and play alongside each other has really been fun.
