Draymond Green talks trash-talking, losing a 3-point contest to Kevin Hart, and his love-hate dynamic with Steve Kerr. He predicts the Knicks will win the NBA Finals and discusses his media work on Inside the NBA and his podcast.
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Our next guest is a 4-time NBA champion, a 2-time Olympic gold medalist, and future inductee into both the basketball and trash talk halls of fame. His podcast is called "The Draymond Green Show." From the Golden State Warriors, please welcome Draymond Green!
[SPEAKING SPANISH] How are you?
I'm amazing. I haven't gotten cheered like that walking into an arena since I was in high school.
Certainly not in Los Angeles. Oh, you got a lot of— you got some cheers at the roast. You did a— I thought you did a great job at the roast. I thought you were real solid, you know?
Thank you. I just got nervous when you said the word "roast." Yeah.
You are— of course, people know you for, you know, for trash-talking and stuff like that, which makes sense that you'd be good at this roast thing because you do it while you're playing basketball, which I think is probably harder than standing up in front of a crowd and doing it. Um, your coach, Steve Kerr, with whom you have a— is it fair to say a love-hate relationship?
Very fair.
Okay.
Very, very fair.
You love him, you hate him. He loves you, he hates you.
Yes, except I think he hates me and then loves me.
He hates you first.
Like, it's a little skewed.
And then loves you.
A little skewed, but I earned it.
So you get thrown out of the game a lot, you know? I mean, as far as, you know, compared to other players, you get ejected. Frequently. Last season here in Los Angeles, Steve Kerr got thrown out of the game. In fact, I think we have a clip of that.
Oh, Steve gonna get thrown out! Get him out of there!
Get him out of there!
Back him up! Back him up, GP! Back him up!
Steve Brandon, fire on him!
He's already gone.
Steve back in Inglewood right now. Inglewood!
Get him, Steve!
You in Inglewood, Steve! Look at me. Arizona Wildcats, he came out and look at him.
Rawr, rawr, rawr, rawr.
I forgot to mention Snoop Dogg was in the booth when this occurred.
Hell of a call by Snoop. That was incredible.
It was a great call. What happens when your coach gets ejected? You go back to the locker room after the game. Is everybody quiet about it, or how does it go?
He seems a little softer than y'all think. He comes in and apologizes.
He apologizes?
Which is what he actually thinks I'm gonna do when I get ejected.
He goes the complete opposite.
But he comes in and he apologizes.
Were you upset that he got ejected?
You see me standing there like this?
You were doubled over laughing?
I don't care. Listen, nothing makes me more happy to see a player on my team get a tech or ejected or my coach get a tech or ejected.
Why?
Because usually it's me. So I actually like to see how it looks when the shoe's on the other foot. It brings me great joy.
It does.
Yeah.
I like that.
You know— So you see, there was nothing I was going to do to stop him from getting ejected.
Right.
You were not one of the guys going, "Hey, hey, hang back.
Don't worry about it." I almost grabbed GP and told him to move out the way so Steve could go.
Steve Kerr in New York Magazine— New Yorker magazine said, "There are things about you— there are things he's done that I can never forgive him for, and yet I will do anything for him." What did you do that he can't ever forgive you for? Can you tell us? Is there anything that comes— do you even know?
So— there's so many things.
So many things.
I mean, we've had our times. We were about to get at it, you know. Have you ever gotten in a physical tussle with Steve Kerr? Well, he came around the table on me like, "Draymond!" And I stood up and he ran back around the table. So we never got there, but we've had our moments, man, you know, where he— Now I'll tell you, last year we had a moment caught on camera.
Uh-huh.
And I got up and I left out of the huddle and I left the game and I went to the locker room. He was obliterating me and I had to get outta there because there was no win for me. If I say something back, every time I said something, He went louder and he got bigger, right? And if I do something, I really lose. So I left.
It's like dealing with a grizzly bear. That's how you're supposed to handle a bear.
Except he thinks I'm the bear. And I think he's the bear. It's too bad. Uh-huh. So it works out.
We go home.
I think that shows—
I think that shows maturity, though, that you've learned, like, "Okay, I'm just gonna get out of this situation and let it blow over." You know what, Jimmy?
I actually thought it was the most mature thing I've ever done, but when you have the reputation I had, it was bad anyway, so—
I see. Everybody on TV said, Oh, Draymond's an idiot.
He left the huddle. He did this. He ruined the team. And it's like, I got myself out of trouble. So with my reputation, there's no good.
You can't win. I can't.
Even when you win, you can't win.
Except I always win, and I still win. You always win.
So it works.
Except— unless—
and I hate to bring this up— unless you're in a 3-point shooting contest with Kevin Hart.
All right, so— so I was back there watching this, and I was telling everyone back there with me, I said, "He's about to talk about the 3-point contest." I knew it. And he kind of got away from it and went right back to it.
Uh-huh.
I knew it. So if— this is 2016. It's my first time becoming an All-Star. Um, no one really knows who I am. Kevin's a big star.
Mm-hmm.
Everyone says the NBA is rigged, right?
Mm-hmm.
That's what everyone thinks, no? Yeah, I see it all the time on Instagram and Twitter and threads and— Well, they made me lose.
Who did, the NBA?
Yes.
What'd they do, deflate the balls?
They told me, "Kevin sucks, so you have to miss shots." Oh, you threw the game. And so when they told me that he suck and I— like, if you watch the 3-point contest, on one rack, I'm literally finger— and, like, don't get me wrong, I'm not the best shooter in the world, but I can beat Draymond Green.
Yeah, no, you lost to a guy that's 5'5".
But I had—
They set me up because he's the bigger star and he's the celebrity game all-star.
Well, perhaps you should have a rematch now. It sounds like this is something that should happen.
I'd love to have that rematch, except we move to a different sport now. We just finished talking about—
I see. What sport would you prefer to play with Kevin?
Golf.
Okay, well—
We've been talking a lot of crap about golf.
Golf is boring. I want you guys to box or something like that.
That would be fun.
It's no weight class, guys. 5'2".
Wrestling.
Wrestling would be beautiful.
I'll just fall on him. [LAUGHTER] Pin him down.
All right, well, it sounds like you guys are not gonna do it. Well, you are working games, what, 3 and 4?
Yes, sir.
Yeah. Is that fun for you, doing the "Inside the NBA" show?
It's so fun. You get up there with those guys, they're incredible.
They are great, aren't they?
The way they accept me and allow me to thrive on the set with them is— is amazing.
It's so much funnier.
Not often do you get the opportunity to do the NBA Finals, right?
Like—
Me, never.
Yo.
Me either. And by the way, like, Charles Barkley is probably the biggest name in basketball when it comes to media personality.
Maybe the funniest guy in the history of sports.
This is his first time doing the NBA Finals after 30 years. And so I'm so honored to have this opportunity to do the NBA Finals. And— I think TNT— or it's ESPN now.
Yeah, right.
I think they only want me there because Knicks fans hate me, but it works.
Hey, sometimes that's fun, too, right?
Get in how you fit in.
Who do you think's gonna win?
I think the Knicks are gonna win.
Oh, maybe they won't hate you. [APPLAUSE] Now, keep in mind, we don't know what happened against the Pacers.
I like Steve Kerr. I've said too many things about the Knicks to come back now, so they'll hate me just like Steve does.
All right.
All right.
Well, it's great to see you. It's good to see you. And, uh, we like you here in L.A., even though we don't like you, but we do like you. I happen to like you, okay? Thank you. I appreciate it.
That means a lot.
On behalf— I think Guillermo likes you also.
I know they hate me in LA. I got booed at the roast. Like, I'm walking up to sell my jokes, and I'm already getting booed.
There's nothing more fun than getting booed, is there?
Oh, my God. It makes my day.
There you go. Ah! Yes!
There's nothing like it. It's not— I love getting booed. You know why? It's just misguided love.
I like that.
That's all it is.
Misguided love.
No one has ever booed anyone that they didn't care about.
That'd be a great title for a book for you, "Misguided Love." Misguided love.
Mis—
mis— misguided perceptions, misguided officials.
A misguided man.
A misguided human.
You're right. Yes, Draymond Green, everybody.
New episodes of his podcast premiere twice a week. We'll be right back.
