Draymond and KD Reveal What Really Happened with Warriors Fallout | FULL INTERVIEW (Chips)

How much did our argument against the Clippers drive you to ultimately lead the Warriors? Draymond Green.

Took my position. I wasn't chosen. Kevin Durant.

Sacrifice it all 'cause we gotta win.

Say I couldn't do it, watch me do it again.

OK, yeah. K, what's up, man? I appreciate you for coming on. It's my show, Chips. Obviously, it stems from exploring that chip on your shoulder, what drives us and makes us who we are and why we here today. So thank you.

No doubt, man. Thanks for having me, bro.

So take me on the journey. Coach Brown, your first coach, how was that and what did he teach you?

He taught me the fundamentals. I mean, it felt like fundamentals of the game, but it was like truly fundamentals of life. What it's gonna take for me to survive as a human being, a maturing human being. He put this game in front of me, told me the fundamentals of it, the balance of the game. The history of it, I just started to understand that, for one, but also started to see life a little bit clearer, too. It was one of those special times in my life that I always revert back to, you know?

You hear the cliché saying of everything you do, do it game speed. To me, that is the most cliché statement in the world.

Yeah.

Except for when it comes to you. You actually do every rep game speed. Does that come from him, or does that come from somewhere else?

Yeah, he built the foundation. And the cliché stuff, I mean, I am cliché. I mean, I'm simple, I'm efficient, I'm to the point. That's what my game is. Game is, and a lot of the best stuff to me is cliché. So I just tried to approach every workout like a game, every game like a workout.

And then you go to high school, and you went to several different high schools.

Yeah.

How did you feel about that then? And looking back on that, how do you feel about it now?

So back then, I didn't know it was any different. I was listening to my Coach Brown, my mom, my pops. Like, this was where the best competition was, so I would switch schools every year to move up a level.

People have tried to make that connection of you being at several different high schools to now you being on 3 different teams. What do you say to that or those people?

Yeah, I mean, I feel as though at each spot, even in high school, my game was growing so fast, I need to be in a different environment to see how farther I can go.

And why Texas? In my opinion, Texas is a football school.

Yeah, it is. It is. It's a football state. But underneath all of that is some incredible athletes on the basketball side. It was just a perfect situation. And then being in Austin, it was like, you know, the city itself, you know, it wasn't a normal college town. It was like being in a major city. So it was perfect for me.

I know growing up in Saginaw, for me, being the tallest kid, everybody always wanted me to play center. And I was fortunate enough to have my uncle who just taught me how to dribble and taught me guard skills. But I still always end up throwing at the center. Whereas you're 7 feet. You'll never admit it, but you're 7 feet. You never played the 4 in your life till you came to Golden State, really.

And— I played a little bit in college 'cause I couldn't dribble that well, but I was still on the perimeter most of the time.

And when we went small, that's when you would play the 4. Whose idea was it, like, to never just stick you on the block 'cause you were always taller than everybody?

Coach Brown and Coach Chucky. Like they would see me every day just running up and down the court, like no ball in my hand, just running around with kids. And they seen my agility outside running, playing football and stuff. So they seen that I wasn't just a stiff.

So— So you calling me a stiff? All right, bet. Go ahead.

I mean, nah, you ain't no stiff, dawg. And you not even big, bro. You like 6'6", like, and you play bigger than what you really are. But most guys that's tall and skinny, they can't really move at the same time. And, you know, I always wanted to be a point guard and shooting guard. I was just growing so fast. So some coaches did just stick me underneath the basket. But if I get a rebound, I go coast to coast. You know what I'm saying?

Mm-hmm.

If I— I shoot a jump shot here and there. So I was showing flashes, but it wasn't like this. You know what I'm saying?

Yeah.

I developed this over time.

I remember reading a statement where you said, "I'm tired of being number 2." I was the number 2 pick. I was the number 2 player in the country. Where was that coming from, like, and why did you feel that, like?

Yeah, cuz we had just lost in the Finals.

Mm-hmm.

And I felt like we was right there every game. And people was like, "Man, good job. Y'all did great. Like, you guys are young. Y'all be right back." And I was like, "I don't care about that." I wanted to win that series, and I wanna win a championship. And that's where that came from. I was just— People wanted me to accept being second so much. That was never my mentality ever. Always to win the game. And, you know, I appreciated people, like, respecting my game, but I was like, I wanted more for myself. And at that point, that's how I was feeling.

First 9 years in OKC, and then you decide that you leaving OKC, and you ultimately decide to come to the Warriors, knowing that knowing that the scrutiny would be there, knowing that, you know, everybody would say the Warriors were this great team. But you still ultimately made the decision. Why was that? Was that driven by, "I don't give a fuck what y'all think. This is good for me"? Or was that just, you know, was it strictly just a basketball decision?

It was a basketball decision, but I knocked down the, like, not-givin'-a-fuck ladder with that too, you know what I'm sayin'? It kinda knocked down two birds with one stone with that. But it was mainly— I felt like I was the absolute perfect fit with what you guys were doing on both ends of the ball. And I knew my game had reached a point where I needed to really see what that looked like. And I thought that was just a no-brainer. I would do that shit a million times. You know, again, I would— I didn't second-guess at all. And I knew that's what I wanted to do when I was going into these meetings. But I really just had to confirm, go through the process. But, like, I knew from watching the games, just looking at interviews, just seeing everything that y'all about, it's like, that's the way I wanted to play and that's the way I need to go to, you know, continue to keep getting better as a player. Once I tunnel visioned on that, I knew everything would come afterwards and it was just me going through that experience and see how I was gonna deal with it. And shit, it went perfect.

You then do 3 years there, 2 championships, would've been 3 had you not got hurt.

Easily.

But in my opinion, after year 2, you were over it. You were done with it, and you were on to the next thing. But we had the opportunity to 3-peat. And in my mind, what brought you back to Golden State for year 3 was just the opportunity to 3-peat. But it didn't feel right for you no more. Am I right, wrong?

That's interesting because a lot of people— that's just the talk around me the last few years. And I get what people are saying because before I got to Golden State, I was just happy-go-lucky, like, just— bright-eyed to the experience, not knowing what was ahead. By first year, I knew exactly what we needed to do in order for us to win every night. I knew what my role was to the T. Teams before, I didn't quite know what my role was every night. Did I have to be the scorer? Did I have to be the facilitator? Did I have to get other guys involved? Did I have to make threes? I knew exactly what my role was, and I locked on it with so much focus and determination to not fuck around every day. Yeah. And you seen it.

Mm-hmm.

From workouts to practices, shootarounds, film, I was super locked in. It made people on the outside look at me like, "Hold on, is he enjoying this?" When I dive into something like that with that level of focus, I don't wanna be anywhere else in life. That's the most enjoyable experience I ever had after that first one. If that was the case, I wouldn't have played 78 games that year. I would've just waited till the end of the season and tried to play in the playoffs. I played every game. I went hard every day. I cared about every matchup no matter who was on the floor. Just my look didn't feel as, like, energetic or opening as it was before. And I like that. I like that I was closed off and focused on my work. I just maybe should have communicated that with more people who were interested in knowing what I was going through, but I had the most fun locking in and completing the task, you know what I'm saying? 'Cause I knew we was gonna win. Mm-hmm. Every night. And it's rare to get to that point as an NBA player.

Yeah.

Knowing you gonna win every night. So I just try to focus in and stay in the moment more than anything.

And for my, for my own personal sanity, 'cause I've been getting my ass kicked ever since you left. So just for my own personal sanity, how much did our argument against the Clippers drive you to ultimately lead the Warriors?

It wasn't the argument. It was the way that everybody, Steve Kerr, act like it didn't happen. Bob Myers tried to just discipline you and think that that would put the mask over everything. I really felt like that was such a big situation for us as a group. The first time we went through something like that, we had to get that shit all out. I remember watching "The Last Dance" And when Scottie didn't go into the game, the whole team in the locker room said, "Scottie, that was fucked up that you did that." We needed that. We just needed to throw all of that shit out on the table and say, "Yo, Dray, K, like, that was fucked up that we even had to go through that. Let's just wipe our hands with that and go finish the task." I don't think we did that. We tried to dance around it. I just didn't like how all of that— just the vibe between all of that, it just made shit weird to me. And I'd rather us—

Yeah.

Be who we say we are. Family first. Communication is key. Like, we didn't show that, and that's what rubbed me the wrong way more than anything.

When we landed back from LA, I sat in the— Hazel was sitting in the car for an hour and 45 minutes. They pulled me in that room at Signature for an hour and 45 minutes, and they tried to tell me, "You need to apologize." And I told them, I'll talk to K, but y'all aren't going to tell me what I need to say.

Mm-hmm.

And, you know, they went on for an hour and 45 minutes saying a bunch of bullshit. And ultimately, they realized, "All right, we're not getting through to him. We're gonna try again in the morning." And so we met the next morning, and they said, "All right, you slept on it. You ready to apologize?" And I told them right then and there, I said, I said, "Y'all about to fuck this up." I said, "The only person that can make this right is me and K. And there's nothing that y'all can do, and y'all are going to fuck this up." And in my opinion, they fucked it up.

I think so, too.

And they told me right then and there, like, "We're gonna suspend you for this game." I laughed in their— literally laughed in their face. And Bob said to me, he said, um, Wow. That was not the reaction I was looking for or expecting. And I said, well, either I'mma laugh in your face or I'mma cuss you the fuck out. So you pick. I'mma choose laugh. So I think what you're doing is funny, and so I'mma laugh. And so it's interesting to hear you say essentially the same thing that I told them that day. But, you know, and moving past that, Kinda along those same lines, you've now played with Russ, who I think has an incredible chip on his shoulder that sometimes goes too far.

Mm-hmm.

Uh, myself, who has a chip on my shoulder that sometimes go too far. Uh, Kyrie, who has a chip on his shoulder that sometimes goes too far. And James, who has a chip on his shoulder that probably sometimes goes too far. And playing with— all the guys that you play with that you could say, "Ah, he probably go way too far"?

We all go too far, bro, and we all got major chips on our shoulders. There's a million of us. Imagine a million people trying to walk, run into this door right now. Somebody gonna get elbowed, kicked, pushed over. Like, we all trying to fit into a one-peg spot. A hundred, millions of us trying to fit into these 12, 15 spots on teams. So we gotta have that chip on our shoulder, and I always appreciate that, appreciate the people that acknowledge that. Acknowledge that it's tough to make it to the league. And I had to kick a lot of motherfuckers down to get here. I had to shun a lot of my friends and a lot of the sacrifice, a lot of the personal shit that I loved as a kid so I can get here. So we all, all of us naturally are underdogs, got chips on our shoulders 'cause it's hard to make it to this point. But the person that went too far was always Draymond Green. He, he, uh, I mean, to the point where— Yeah. I felt like you were trying to establish that you not playing around. Like, you not gonna walk over me even though I was a second-round pick and I'm undersized and I'm not as skilled as y'all want me to be or I don't play the way y'all traditionally like for people my size to play. I felt that same way about Russell Westbrook 'cause of his story. I felt that same way about James Harden because I know his story from, like, when these dudes was kids, what they had to go through as everyday people, not just on the court. It's hard to make it through life every day. You know what I'm saying?

Mm-hmm.

Where some of these people come from. You know, so I started understanding I'm realizing, like, now I see why they show their ego, they show the pride that they have, they show the chip that they have on their shoulder because it's hard as shit to make it every day.

Facts.

You know what I'm saying? But you pushed it to the limit where it's like, it's cool for me to be who I am and be— and not apologize for it all the time.

Mm-hmm.

Because you don't mean— you ain't mean no harm to anybody, but shit that you wanted done, you want it done. And we all respected that. And we all kind of looked up to that as guys that come into the league and want to fit into this system so bad.

Mm-hmm.

You know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying?

Facts.

Like, wanting to be a part of this whole thing. Then you realize you see dudes who just going by their own little pace and it's like, "Oh, that's more so of my rhythm." You know what I'm saying? So a lot of the guys that I play with, from Russ to James to Ky to Steph to Klay, they all kind of move to the beat of their own drum. That encourages a lot of people to do the same shit. Not just basketball players, but people in general who just watch us. Dealing with everybody every single day, I started thinking like that and I started seeing the beauty in all of this shit.

Mm-hmm. To watch you early on in your career, like you said, you was the happy one. You was the kid that carried the backpack. Nike started a backpack line because you—

Mm-hmm.

And you— to this day, you still carry a backpack all the time.

Still do, yeah.

And so there's this common misconception that you're not the kid that carries the backpack anymore. I still think you're the kid that loves basketball and carry a backpack.

Yeah.

But over the course of the years, your answers To the media, how you deal with the media has changed. Why is that? Is that just who you grew into? Is that because of the way they act with certain shit? Where did that—

I felt like the media knew more than me. I almost had them on a pedestal of, like, they got more history, knowledge of the game. They more experienced than me in this area of the NBA. So once I started to get more experience and realize, like, "Oh, nah, they can never be." what I am or know what I know or understand it the way I understand it. Some of the questions, you know, they didn't seem so intelligent to me anymore. People wanted to praise me more than I liked or hate me more than I liked, make a big deal out of so much other shit. And I was just like, you know, this game is simple to me. So some of the stuff that y'all asking really doesn't move me the way it used to. I just, you know, started to see life different. I can see this game different. So, you know, I— Mm-hmm. Of course my answers and questions, you know, about what goes on is gonna be different too. So I just chalk that up to just maturity and experience.

And speaking of media, social media, obviously we were teammates when you got caught with the burner account. One thing I love about the burner account is everything that you said on the burner account, you just started to say on Kevin Durant's account.

Yeah.

A lot of people don't like it, as, you know, most people voice. They don't like how you, respond to some fans or how you respond to this, how you are always tweeting. What do you make of people's reaction to you responding to fans? And if you think something, you send it.

Yeah. I just think people are still upset that I went to the Warriors. And a lot of people who are Cavs fans who enjoy watchin' the Cavs beat y'all before, which is a lot of people. I didn't realize that 'til I got there. A lot of people enjoy seein' y'all lose in 2016. And a lot of those people were upset that we were so good.

Mm-hmm.

And they're still upset. Because you do the same shit on Twitter.

Mm-hmm.

Damian Lillard does the same shit on Twitter.

Mm-hmm.

CJ McCollum does the same shit on Twitter. We all do the same shit on Twitter. But for me, it's a problem. I mean, I chalk it up to just me being so good at what I do and playing with a team that was so great. And we fit so well. Nobody likes a great thing.

Mm-hmm.

And I was the— I guess I was the cause of that. Great thing because I came and joined. So it's way deeper than what I do on Twitter. And I understand that. And it's funny to me at this point because you can't erase what we did. You never gonna erase it. And you know you love watching us play. You know what I'm saying?

The best. I think it's the best era of basketball ever, in my opinion.

But that's really what it is. So many people still upset with me that I chose to play basketball for the Golden State Warriors, which is sad at this point 'cause it's almost a— a decade later.

Mm-hmm.

Since I made that decision, you know what I'm saying? That's never gonna stop me from engaging with fans, 'cause at the end of the day, I'm only talking about basketball.

Mm-hmm.

I'm not diving into politics. I'm not telling you how you should live. I'm not flexing my money or my power or none of that shit on you. I'm just literally talking about the game.

Mm-hmm.

You know? And what I see. And I don't think it harms anyone.

I would love to see D-Book win a championship. But in my opinion, the Finals does not compare to Warriors-Cavs, Warriors—

Nah.

Mm-mm. Even Warriors-Raptors. Do you have any regrets about that, knowing that we probably would've won 5 more championships?

Nah, I don't have any regrets at all. I felt like we did exactly what we was supposed to do. And I wish we would've 3-peated it because that's rare. And we were, like, right there. But I don't have any regrets at all, cuz I feel like if we just stayed healthy with the Nets, we had a great chance to finish it too.

Mm-hmm.

So, um, nah, I mean, being hurt for that year really changed my perspective on everything that I was doin' and everything that I did before. I looked at that time with playing with the Warriors as so special to me, but it was time to move on.

So now you're in this space with the Nets. And, you know, everybody has made this big deal about Kyrie and, you know, his beliefs and him missing games. And just like we all do, he got his shit.

Yeah.

And a lot of people are now saying that is what's going to cost y'all ultimately of reaching where y'all wanna reach. What do you make of that?

I mean, I just think people don't like Kyrie because he wanted to leave Cleveland and he wanted to leave Boston. I don't think it's any deeper than that. He doesn't harm anyone. He hasn't said anything that's disrespectful to anybody. His game is beautiful to watch. I just think people don't like the decisions on where he chooses to play. And they sort of amplify everything, cuz everybody in this league has their shit.

Mm-hmm.

They may say something over a course of 6 months that everybody may not agree with. That's just the nature of our business. You know, when you're that good at what you do, everything is a little amplified, and sometimes it's a little extra, you know? So what Kyrie does, especially in our building, nobody is making a big deal out of it. Just like a lot of shit we did in our building. We didn't give a shit if Klay missed practice.

Like, don't.

Who cares? Like, as long as you there for the game, as long as you, you know, you healthy enough to play, like, we didn't give a shit. Like, when you and Coach cursed each other out, literally, as soon as practice was over with, it was cool. Like, you know? So it was like, everybody's mature enough to understand, like, We come to work, we handle our business, and you be who you are.

Family, you have no kids. You're now 32. I'm 31. I got 3 kids. I'm 31, so I, you know, I took a little different route.

Man, you an OG now, man.

But you have no kids. Why? Do you want kids ultimately? Do you not want kids?

I mean, that's a big commitment for one. And I always felt like I was just really zoned in on my work. In my alone time, in my free time, too much for me to, like, lock in on something like that, you know? And eventually I do want that, but the older I get, I think, is the better, 'cause I'm maturing more, knowing myself more, understanding my situation a little bit more. So if I were to invite someone in or combine my life with another person, you know, it'd be perfectly— perfect at this time, as opposed to me 10 years ago. I wouldn't know what to do. So—

Mm-hmm.

I think I'm, uh, as long as I wait, you know, uh, It's only gonna be for the better.

Do you ever worry that the longer you wait, your kid won't understand who Kevin Durant is?

I'm glad he won't understand.

Why is that?

'Cause I don't want him to have to feel like he's pressured in this bubble to do what I did, you know? And as long as I'm playing, like, this bubble is always gonna be about making it to the NBA. So if you see a little KD out here, nothing but— you expecting him to be a— basketball player. So, like, I don't know if my kid are even gonna be that tall or fall into the game like I fell into it. Who knows? So I'd rather just me tell 'em, you know, over time what I did. I don't want any pressure for anybody that's coming into my world to do what I like to do. I want 'em to explore things on their own.

So what's next for you? You got, you know, probably 10 more years left of hoopin'. Mm-hmm.

I hope so.

What comes after that? Have you gotten there yet, or you still just so locked in on basketball that it's just that?

I definitely wanna stay involved in the game. I'm learning so much now, I don't know where I could use it at. Coaching, GM, ownership. I feel like I'm gathering so much knowledge that I could be useful in any part of this game. But outside of that, I have other interests in tech world, media space, art, all of that stuff that, you know, I enjoy doing in my leisure time. You know, I wanna get involved in at some point. But for now, you know what I'm about.

Yeah.

You know what I'm— what I enjoy to do every day. So until that time is up, then we'll see what happens. But I feel like I'm setting up stuff on the back end of things that I can have options.

You know, I think people look at us and they say, "Oh, man, you play basketball for a living. You should be happy." Which is great, right? Like, you love basketball. I love basketball. Being able to do that and make the type of money we make is incredible. But with that comes a lot of fucking scrutiny, comes a lot of headaches. What is the happiest you've been as a professional?

I don't even— I don't even like to use the word happiness. That's just a fleeting feeling. It can just go so up and down. I don't want to chase that feeling. It's just not an efficient way for me to live. I feel like just having peace and really simply just enjoying being alive every day is the best place for me to be, you know? I don't want to be happy and sad. Like, I don't even want to have to— go through that. I just want to just kind of float through life. I experienced so much. I just want to take on every experience for what it is and enjoy it in the moment, you know? I don't want to chase happiness, you know? So I just try to stay even.

I respect that. Appreciate it, bro.

Man, that was incredible talk, Draymond Green. Yes, sir.

Thank you.

Thank you. No doubt.

That's it. It's a wrap.

This is gonna be an incredible interview, by the way. This is gonna go crazy.