In this YouTube episode of the Draymond Green Show, host Draymond Green sits down with former NBA All‑Star DeMarcus Cousins and sports commentator Colin Cowherd to explore how media narratives shape the public perception of NBA players. Green opens by contrasting "passion" and "attitude," noting that the two traits are often used interchangeably but are labeled differently depending on a player's success. He recalls a past conversation with Cousins where Cousins observed that winning teams get praised for passion while less successful teams are branded with negative terms like "attitude" or "head case." Cousins expands on this, describing how he has been repeatedly labeled a "head case," "coach cancer," and other pejoratives, and how those labels affect his self‑perception. He admits he never fully reconciles with the criticism, instead learning to focus on what he can control and accepting that some people will always love or hate him. Both athletes discuss the deeper disconnect between world‑class athletes and front‑office executives or coaches, arguing that executives often lack an understanding of the hunger, sacrifice, and mental toughness required to compete at the highest level. This lack of empathy fuels the media’s tendency to vilify outspoken players. The conversation is interspersed with candid, reflective, and occasionally humorous moments, illustrating the emotional toll of being constantly scrutinized. The segment concludes with a brief promotional read for DraftKings by Colin Cowherd, encouraging listeners to download the sportsbook app using a promo code. Key takeaways: 1. Media labels ("passion" vs. "attitude") are applied inconsistently and can shape a player's reputation. 2. Players like Cousins and Green grapple with these narratives, often learning to compartmentalize and focus on controllable factors. 3. A fundamental misunderstanding exists between athletes and front‑office personnel, contributing to mischaracterizations. 4. The discussion underscores the personal cost of public scrutiny while also highlighting the resilience required to thrive in the NBA. 5. The episode includes a commercial plug for DraftKings, which is peripheral to the core discussion.
Chapters
Welcome to the brand new Draymond Green Show YouTube channel. Hit subscribe so you don't miss out on any of our content. Then leads me to my next question for you, which is, there's passion and there's attitude. They are actually, they live in the same house.
Yes.
Yeah. They sleep in the bedroom together.
Right.
Pretty much the same thing. But the difference in it is how they're characterized and categorized.
Right.
I remember you said something to me in 2018, maybe even before that. It probably was before we were even teammates. But I know for certain you said it to me at some point when we were teammates. I'm actually certain you've said it multiple times, which is, "Man, we the same. We the same. And they say you got passion and they say I'm crazy and got an attitude." Right. And I was like, "No, we, I can appreciate your passion." And I've always told you that. Like, "No, I know your passion. I appreciate." Also, it matters. Don't really put me with somebody that it don't matter to, 'cause I don't wanna be around somebody that it don't matter. But also when you said that, I was like, "Cuz, you fucking crazy. We ain't the same." And you said something to me that day, and I was like, I didn't necessarily go back at you, But it was a thought-provoking thing and I just kept it with me. And what you said was, "Nah, but y'all been winning. So they say yours is passion. I haven't won much. So they say mine is an attitude and I can't be coached and I'm crazy and this and that." And I said all of that to say, I'm sorry. [LAUGHTER] Because you was right. 'Cause all of a sudden we ain't winning and now I'm crazy.
Right.
Now I ain't got good sense.
Draymond, you, man, you America's most wanted, brother.
And I'm just like, oh, this is fucking nuts. And when I was going through all of that stuff this year, the first person I thought about was actually you. Because it took me back to that moment when you said that. And I said all of that to say to you, in coming through this league and being labeled as a head case, as a coach cancer, as this thing, as that thing, ultimately knowing like, no, bro, I care.
Right.
How did you ultimately come to terms with that of like, no, I care and I do have passion and all these things. "but then y'all are trying to use it against me, make me out to be something I am not. But at the same time, this is how I play. This is how I'm great. These are the things that make me great." Right. "But then I gotta try to find this balance because y'all trying to label me and say I'm a problem." How did you ultimately come to terms with that, grow through that? Or do you think you ever got through it? I don't.
I never really have come to terms with it. I let it go because, you know, you get to a point where you just learn to control what you can control. And at the end of the day, in this lifetime, it's gonna be motherfuckers that hate you. It's gonna be motherfuckers that love you. That's just how this goes. Like, no matter what you do, no matter how many things you do right, they gonna find something to hate about you doing. You doing it the right way.
Absolutely.
So that's just, you know, the nature of life. But it was hard because the same, you know, the same emotions, the same passion, the same, you know, that will to win, that fire inside of you, the same thing that got you to this point and helps you be this world-class athlete, it's like frowned upon. And at the end of the day, like, I think it's even deeper than that. Like, everybody's not gonna like everybody, but at the end of the day, if you can come to understand a person, it's easy to accept. It's easier to accept. And, you know, I've thought about it. I've brainstormed. I've, you know, I'm like, what is it? And it just comes down to, we don't relate. Like, when you think about these front offices, you think about these people that run these organizations and, Even coaches, we don't relate. And the biggest thing we don't relate on is you don't know how to be a world-class athlete.
That part.
You don't know what it takes. You don't know the hunger. You don't know the drive. You don't know the fight, the sacrifice, like the toughness, the mental toughness, the physical toughness. You don't know what it takes to be a professional athlete.
Mm-hmm.
But you have the power to critique and judge, which is mind-blowing.
Mm-hmm.
And it even goes a little further than that. Outside of being a world-class athlete, you know, you get these guys from all over the world, from different backgrounds, different, you know, environments, places, and you appreciate them for their athleticism. And you don't really understand their process or what they go through to get to that point, to become that athlete. And you know, the different things they went through in life to get them to that point, you don't understand it. You don't even, you probably don't even know.
Mm-hmm.
And I think that just falls back on, you know, it's strictly about being the athlete, but it's not. It's so much more deeper to understanding these athletes and these different people that get overlooked and honestly just kind of swept under the rug. And I think that's why it's gonna always be that rough patch of where it's never gonna really match up or be understandable. So have I gotten to the point, you know, where I've accepted it or? No, but I've definitely let go.
Have you been hungry for some college football? I am. I cannot wait. And if you love college football as much as I do, jump in on the DraftKings Sportsbook. Go to the app, takes you 90 seconds, maybe 2 minutes to download. Uh, it's a small slate of games, but it's Week 0. We got the one over in Dublin and go to the DraftKings app. If you're a first-timer, let's make it easy. Just pick a team to win, select a team, place your first bet. Uh, this is going to be a gigantic season because of conference realignment. There's so much mystery and so much fun and so many big games. Oregon, uh, Ohio State, Texas, Georgia— that's now a part of our life. If you've always loved college football, add a layer to it. Go to the DraftKings Sportsbook app. Uh, put in the name Colin. By the way, when you download the app, put in the name Colin. That's $200 in bonus bets. If you put in the code Colin, you get $200 in bonus bets from DraftKings betting just $5. That's a nice head start. It's like you won without winning. Pick a team. It's simple. Download it. Code Colin. $200 off $5. All Only on DraftKings. The crown is yours.
