Draymond GreenForward, Golden State Warriors

Dray and T-Mac BOTH almost went to Kentucky 🤯😲 | #Shorts

20 Jan 2022 · 0 min

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0:22

In this YouTube Shorts conversation, former NBA stars Tracy McGrady and Draymond Green reminisce about how each almost chose the University of Kentucky during their high‑school recruiting years. McGrady recounts visiting Kentucky, being impressed by the players' lounge and the lavish lifestyle, but ultimately turning away when Adidas presented a lucrative deal. Green describes a vivid memory of his junior‑year visit when College GameDay was on campus, the arena’s deafening atmosphere, a tour of the Wildcat Lounge, and how he impulsively committed to Kentucky the next day—without his mother’s knowledge. The dialogue highlights the influence of corporate sponsorships, campus experiences, and personal connections on elite basketball recruiting decisions.

I went up to Kentucky, man, and saw how them kids, them dudes was living. I was like, "Oh my God." The players' lounge, they driving fully loaded Eddie Bauers. It's already basketball heaven in Kentucky. So I'm like, "Man." I was initially going to Kentucky until Adidas came to the table with that big deal.
My high school coach played for Tubby Smith when Tubby was coaching at Tulsa back in the day. So my junior year of high school, Tubby was still at Kentucky. We went, we drove down, College GameDay was there. We walked into the arena and we're standing next to each other. And in order to hear each other talk, this is just walking into the arena, it's an hour before the game. It's so loud, we're yelling in each other ear. I couldn't believe it. We watched the game, stayed overnight, got a chance to see the Wildcat Lounge and all that stuff. I committed the next day. My mom had no idea I committed.
So they got you too.