Draymond on his new TV deal & Andrew Wiggins starting the All-Star Game | The Draymond Green Show

What's up everybody? It's Draymond Green. Make sure you subscribe to the Volumes YouTube channel below so you don't miss any more of this great content going forward. What's up everybody? Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show. This is our 11th episode and we have another all-timer joining this show this weekend, Charles Oakley. He's Uncle Oak to me, but Charles Oakley to you. We all know him, the Enforcer. He also has a book released, that released today actually, titled "The Last Enforcer," which is embodying who he is. And not only who he was as a basketball player, Uncle Oak is still an enforcer, like that's never changing. But obviously you're talking raw, uncut stories about his time in the NBA, about things that happen on the court, off the court. And these are untold truths. Yeah. That you don't really get the opportunity to hear often because most guys just aren't comfortable doing that. Most guys just aren't comfortable ruffling any feathers, you know, but Uncle Oak's a little different. And, you know, he has a book out, The Last Enforcer. Make sure everybody check that out. We will be getting into the book and some of the things that he's speaking of in the book on the interview. So— Yeah. I'm looking forward to that. But as you know, we like to go around the association a little bit and then, you know, we also like to go around other leagues as well. But just for starters, I know news broke that I have signed a deal with TNT and I am a part of the TNT team. And what does that mean? And what does that look like for me? I know everybody's been wondering. Just due to I'm still playing, I'm still playing at a high level. So what does that actually mean? I know some Warrior fans freaked out a little bit. Let me get this out there now. I am not about to retire. I still think I have a lot left to give in this body. I think I still have some more things that I want to accomplish. One of those being a championship. You know, obviously one of those being another Defensive Player of the Year, All-Star. All-Star. I still got a bunch of things I want to accomplish as a basketball player. So I am not retiring from basketball. Let's get that out there right away. Just to clear that up. But what the TNT deal is, number one, just being a part of the family. Most importantly, you know, you've seen me on there over the last, over the course of the last couple years, starting with the bubble due to my team not being in the bubble, had an opportunity to go on and sit up there with the guys. And well, number one, and it all started for me in going on the arena with the great host, Carrie Champion, who was incredible. Who a lot like Ernie Johnson just kind of walked me to things that I wanted and needed to say. She was incredible. And so that's kind of where it started for me with TNT. And then obviously with Charles Barkley and Dwyane Wade, two Hall of Famers, legends. D-Wade's not a Hall of Famer yet, but. Yeah.— it's only a matter of time. We just need, kind of like the Warriors championships used to be, you just kind of need that date on the calendar to get there and then boom, it happens. So that's kind of Dwyane Wade as a Hall of Famer. So two Hall of Famers, Kerri Champion, who will be a Hall of Fame journalist or analyst or, you know, whatever way you want to go with it, she's incredible. So having the opportunity to share the stage with those three and do the— and we were doing the arena. And obviously at that time we were highlighting things that was going on in America and not only in America, around the world. And that was just kind of my first crack at it. And it's like, oh man, like this is pretty fun. I enjoy this, I like this. And then I, you know, we did that throughout the weekend. Then I had an opportunity also to go on Inside the NBA. And for me, that was incredible. You know, number one, we always hear about Studio J, you know, and Studio J, all of these things. And it's kind of taken on a life of its own, which I think is incredible. So when I first arrived at Turner Studios, and that may not be the correct name, but cut me a little slack there. But when I first arrived at the studio, the first thing I asked is, "Where's Studio J?" Like, I wanna see Studio J. Like, this place is historic. Like, these, it's Emmys coming up. Spewing out of there. Like it's greatness spewing out of there. I wanna see Studio J. So they, it's right in front as soon as I walked in. So I'm like, oh man, this is incredible. And then obviously we didn't get Studio J stage. We went to another stage and I kind of had to work my way to Studio J, which was great. I'm all for putting the work in, but just having those opportunities to showcase who I am, what I stand for, how I speak, how I fit in. Yeah. But most importantly for me was having that opportunity to learn. And you know, the thing, there's just things that you don't realize as a player. You know, I've always heard like, you're a great interview, you're a great interview. You're gonna be good at TV 'cause you're a great interview. And the reality is it does not necessarily mean that because there's so many other things that goes into doing that job that you don't even realize. You know, I wanna speak, And I think I spoke about this before, but the mistake I made when doing the arena, we were interviewing Masai Ujiri from the Toronto Raptors, and I completely butchered my question. And in part due to the producer in my ear telling me, you got 10 seconds left to get your question out. You know, you got 10 seconds to get your question out 'cause you have to give him enough time to talk. We have to get to the commercial break. And so he's telling me in my ear, I got 10 seconds. And now I'm trying to frame that question the right way with 10 seconds. And so I asked Masai, I said, they had put Black Lives Matter on their bus. And when they put Black Lives Matter on their bus, they're driving through the streets of Orlando with a Black Lives Matter bus, the team from Toronto. And now when all of this had happened, all of these things started to happen. And one of the reasons we actually did the arena, that was prime George Floyd just being murdered, God rest his soul. Still sending my thoughts and prayers to the family as just because it's been a year or year and a half, whatever it's been, that pain don't go away. So I still send my love to them. But I asked him because a real push for change Came when we saw that. And that was like, you know, some people have been pushing for change for years, obviously us as an African American culture, but not just of the African American culture, but been pushing for change for years. And then once we saw that, that's when you just felt like so many people came on board and was like, oh yeah, I see what they're talking about. There definitely needs to be change. And so on and so forth. So I was, what I was intending to ask him was, there's 29 other teams in the NBA, you being the one that's out of the country. From an event that just really sparked this push for change that happened in America, none of these other 29 teams decided to put Black Lives Matter on their bus, but you did. The one team that is out of the country and was not in the country that really sparked that movement. And of course people like, you idiot, there are Black Lives Matter everywhere, this, that, and the other. I'm not saying Black lives doesn't matter everywhere. I'm specifically asking about this because there was one particular incident that happened in America that really sparked and pushed what sparked this push for change. And I caught a lot of flack for that, but it was the best thing to happen to me because it was an incredible learning experience. And so that was kind of the beginning for me. And then, you know, I've gone on to do other things with the TNT team and it just felt like home for me. You know, it felt like the place that I wanted to be. It felt like a family. You know, one of the main reasons I went to Michigan State, when it came down to my final 3 schools, It came outta Michigan State, Michigan, and Indiana. And I was actually gonna go to Michigan and they invited me up and all of that stuff, but it just didn't feel like a family to me. And Michigan State felt like a family. And that's why I chose to go to Michigan State. Turner and the TNT team, it just feels like a family to me. Like everyone's family. I mean, even, you know, you're talking, other analysts, you know, everyone who's a part of that family reaching out to me when I signed, like, "You're a part of the family. Welcome. This is exciting. It's super dope." Like, you just don't get that energy from everywhere. And I know how important that is to success. Everywhere I've gone, the Golden State Warriors, like, we all operate as family. Like, we're all one. You know, we're all pushing for the same goal. We take care of each other. That's important to success. At least it's always been important to success for me in my life. And so I have a huge appreciation for that. And I'm extremely thankful for the Turner team, obviously starting at the top with Jeff Zucker, Lenny, Craig, Tara, they've been incredible to me. And so it was a no-brainer for me once they made the offer, like, absolutely, I'd love to be a part, officially a part of the family. And so that's kind of that. How will it work out? I'll do things when I can. We're gonna win a championship this year. But say for instance, in a year that we don't win the Finals, and you know, there's an early exit because those do happen, you know, I'll go to work and I'll possibly be on your TV screen and sharing some of my thoughts on the games. You know, some things that I think a team can do better, you know, all of those things. So that's kind of how it will work. It's not like I'm going to be flying from San Francisco to Atlanta with one day off in between games to go to studio. Like, no, but there will definitely be a bunch of time that I'll have and I can go on and, you know, pretty much fulfill my duties. And that's what I'm looking forward to. I absolutely love doing it. So it was a no-brainer for me. I am extremely excited about Andrew Wiggins being named an All-Star starter. Like you're talking a guy who was written off, traded. He actually got traded as the number 1 pick before he ever played a game. He got traded in summer league, which is very unusual. So his career started off rocky. Like his career started off like going through something that I've never been traded. Like I've never been through that. So here I am 10 years in and he starts his career off 10 days in. With that. So that's already an adjustment. He goes to Minnesota, which at that time wasn't a very good organization, had been losing. And you know, it's, it's obvious they've improved now and new ownership group and all those things. But at that time wasn't a good organization. And then he's left to figure things out on his own. And, you know, he played well, you know, but not to the level of the number one pick and what most people want to see. And so then he obviously gets traded to the Warriors and it was kind of just like they didn't want him. Like they just gave him away. The moment he got here, I'm like, oh man, this guy, he competes, he defends. Like he does things that I did not expect from him. And it was at that time where I'm like, oh no, like we really have something serious here. And now, now it's about teaching him how to play winning basketball because he hadn't done that for 6 years or whatever, whatever that time was. It's about instilling that confidence back in him because somewhere along the way that's been snatched away. But if you can do those 2 things, this guy is number 1, super talented. Yeah. Number 2, he can really help us win. And so that was the task. Now you don't complete that task without him wanting to do those things and him wanting to be that. And so he put the work in with his trainer, Chris Johnson, with the coaching staff here. He's put that work in and you just, as a teammate, you try to assist and help where you can. Most importantly being with your play on the court. And so we're having a good year. He's having an incredible year. But I wanna point out one thing. What it shows, I'm not sure Wiggins is averaging more points this year than he's averaged any other year, especially since maybe his second or third year in the league. But what it shows you, and for young kids out there, how important winning is. Like winning is extremely important. And when you win, you get, you're viewed differently. You get different recognition. You know, and so now here we have it. Andrew Wiggins is an All-Star starter. Well deserved. I couldn't be happier for him. It's funny because the day All-Star starters were announced, I had gave him like this little speech earlier that day. Like, hey man, starters come out today. I think you'll be announced as a starter, but if not, you will be an All-Star. So don't— and that wait till that following Thursday is long and it's tedious and you want it to happen. But no matter what, if you're not named an All-Star starter tonight, you're gonna be an All-Star, rest assured. Like, appreciate your work that you've done, but continue to get it, you know, continue to grind, continue to do what you're doing for the team. But just know that wait, that week-long wait is long and it goes by very slow. And we were just joking and laughing about it, but it was incredible to see him named an All-Star starter. I'll tell you a funny story. Steph also is named an All-Star starter. Hence the fact I just didn't say congratulations to Steph for being an All-Star starter too. And I did that purposely, but I didn't do that purposely in our team group chat. The moment they announced, uh, Wiggins an All-Star starter, I hit the group chat like, Wiggs, congratulations, man. That's incredible. Blah, blah, blah. Other guys came in, Wiggs, that's dope. Congratulations. Steph's in this group chat. It's our team group chat. Yeah. And Andre comes in, you know, the elder statesman. Andre comes in and he says, "Hey Steph, congratulations. Don't let these MFs act like this, that what you doing not elite. That shit is elite. Congratulations, Steph." And I go back to the chat, I'm like, "Wow, my 4:30. I truly apologize, brother. Congratulations." Wow. And it's funny because Steph had already started, "Wiggs, congrats." Didn't think anything of it. Like he made nothing of it. We're all excited for Wiggs. It's not that we're not excited for Steph. We are just more accustomed to Steph making, being an All-Star starter. And we knew it was happening. And so I felt extremely bad about it. I spent like the rest of that day apologizing through text. And then I went to the gym the next day. I saw him, I apologized again. 'Cause I ran into Tyrese and Shia LaBeouf at a party for Grammys, Grammy Vanity Fair party. And my wife and I, we were sitting there, we were talking to Tyrese. She's in the acting business. And so it's always good to make those different connections. And Shia LaBeouf came up. And he's like, "What's up, man? Da da da da da." And he congratulated Tyrese on maybe his recent movie or the movie had gotten an award. Yeah, like maybe it's— and Tyrese was like, "Thank you. Why you didn't call me and tell me that?" And he's like, "I don't know. Like, I don't know why I didn't call you and tell you that." And Tyrese's point that he made was, you know, we all get so caught up in what we're doing. We get so caught up in the successes that people has had. And in getting caught up in those successes and seeing people have constant success, we forget to congratulate them on the successes that they are currently having. And the reality is, it's wrong because that congratulations may be what pushes that guy to wants to have success, or lady or woman or female to want to chase that success again. Mm-hmm. And also to feel appreciated because sometimes we all need to feel appreciated. And when he made that point, it really stuck with me. I was like, wow. And so like, even today, like I'll still text Drake, like when all 10 of his songs hit the Billboard or 9 outta 10, like, yo, congratulations. That's amazing. Like, because I'm sure most people, or I still text Bron when Bron do like, yo, congrats. Congrats. Because most people, you almost become numb to the wins. And it's so unfair because winning is hard. To continue winning is even tougher. And so it's so unfair to them. And so I wanted to share that story about Steph, but also, and everybody who's listening, when you have people doing great things, congratulate them. It means a lot regardless of how much success they've had. It means a lot. It goes a long way. I too am— Draymond Green. A culprit of that and not doing it as much as it should be done. But I try to make sure I do that. So make sure you're doing it. And speaking of All-Star Weekend, we got my boy Juan T, Juan Toscano Anderson in the dunk contest. And it's funny because a couple days ago he was like, "Yo, should I do the dunk contest?" I said, "They'll let you do it?" He's like, "Yeah, I think I'm gonna do it." I said, "You'd be a fool not to do it." Yeah. Because the stage doesn't get bigger than that. You know, the only way the stage gets bigger than that is the NBA Finals. And there's no guarantee you'll ever play in the NBA Finals. Why not? Everybody's watching All-Star Weekend. Everybody's watching you. Even if you go bomb it, like I remember seeing some guys bomb the dunk contest. No one speaks on it. No one cares. You know why? Because no one ever talks about the person who loses. They're only gonna talk about the person who win and their dunks. Maybe you win, you know, you need to come up with 3 or 4 great dunks. Maybe a guy misses a dunk and it don't even take a hard dunk to win it. You know, like you just don't know. So why not put yourself on that stage? On the flip side, we have Andrew Wiggins who jumps outta the gym that won't do it. And I talked to him about it and, kind of threw shade at him. And you know, Wiggs is a young old man. Like, "Ah nah, Draymond, my body ain't right for this. Like nah, I can't. I should have been did it though. You right, I should have been did it, but my body not right for that, man." I'm like, "Wiggs, come on, man." Like, I just watched you put your head above the top of the square, brother. Like a few weeks ago. Come on, man. Get in the dunk contest. But no chance Wiggs is doing it. Gary Payton II. I talked to GP. Like, GP, why wouldn't you do the dunk contest? Oh man, you know, I just got the bounce in my regular dunks. GP, if you dunk or if you do something with Senior, that's a 40 or 50 or 50, whatever it is. So there's 150 right there. If you just, if Senior toss you a lob off the glass or something, that's a 50 right there. Maybe you do something with Steph Curry, who's gonna be there. That's a 50 right there. Now you need to come up with 2 more dunks that gets you Good scores, do it GP. Of course GP wouldn't do it. And then I text Kaminga like, yo, you're a rookie. Why wouldn't you do the dunk contest? Again, talking to him about the state. He's like, man, I don't do fancy dunks. I just, I can jump high, but I don't really got all the fancy dunks. And I'm like, do the dunk contest. You can get a dunk coach to walk you through some dunks you can do and you don't even know you can do 'em. Do the dunk contest. He didn't want to do it. So I hope these— those 3 guys listen to this, this, this episode because I am pissed off that they didn't put themselves in that dunk contest. We could have 4 dubs in there. But, uh, nonetheless, man, good luck to Juan T. I hope he, he can bring it home. I am extremely proud of him of even putting himself in that position. You know, that's, that's just you. Like there's no one else going out there to do that with you. You're on the stage all by yourself. But he's earned that. He got it out the mud straight from 95th Street in Oakland, like 95th Ave. You know, he just put the work in to be in this position. I'm happy he's doing it. And I would be remiss if we didn't talk about Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford and the Rams, or Joe Burrow and the Bengals and Matthew Stafford and the Rams in the Super Bowl in LA. Number one, I think it's insane that it never happened. And then 2 years in a row, we got the home team in the Super Bowl. Absolutely mind-blowing. But it's incredible to see. It's great for the city of Los Angeles. It's great for the Kroenke family. It's great for the Rams organization as a whole. So I'm looking forward to seeing it. Also looking forward to being there. But how about Joe Burrow? And like Joey Burrow is just unfazed by everything. Like he's going out there he's playing as if he's a 10-year vet and just like going out there in our face and leading his guys. Like, I mean, you watched that first half, he had no time to make decisions, but he made enough decisions and created enough plays with his legs and extended enough plays with his legs to where they were only down 21 to 10 at halftime. And if you follow football, they were also down 11 points in week 17 when they played against the Chiefs. And it was kind of like déjà vu all over again, but kudos to him and how he stayed the course and how he continued to lead his guys. And Ja'Marr Chase is a generational talent. Like, Mm-hmm. Joey Burrow is great and he's incredible, but I do understand you are only as great as the guys next to you. Allow you to be. And Ja'Marr Chase, what he's doing to opposing defenses, that's opening up everything else. And then sure enough, he comes open after a while, is incredible. Like that guy there, he's already in the conversation for the best wide receiver in the NFL and he's in year 1. So what they got going there in Cincinnati, I think is incredible. Huge shout out to Matthew Stafford. Obviously I'm from the state of Michigan. I am a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, but I do like to see the Detroit Lions win. And that rarely happens. And so Matthew Stafford has caught a lot of heat over the years of just being a stat guy. Well, the first year he leaves the Lions and go to the Rams, all of a sudden he's in the Super Bowl and he's showing what he's capable of and how good of a player he is. So I'm very happy for Stafford. I'm looking forward to this game. I think it's gonna be a great game. I do have the Rams winning. I think the Rams will take it at home for the second year in a row. The home team taking the Super Bowl. I personally, the Rams defense is incredible. Like you, you're talking Jalen Ramsey at the corner. You got Aaron Donald and Von Miller on the defensive line controlling everything. Like it's going to be hard against that defense. But not only is their defense incredible, they actually had an offense to match. Shout out to OBJ, the game he had, I think he had 9 receptions for 113 yards or something. Everybody wrote him off. And I was happy he went to LA. And the reason I was happy he went to LA, I personally just think a guy like that needs to be in a big city. Like he thrived in New York. He thrives in those settings. You know, he like, maybe that's what motivates him. Like maybe that's what pushes him. And to see him go from New York and thrive to Cleveland, we all know my relationship with Cleveland, so I don't even need to go further into that, especially with Uncle O being from Cleveland. I'm gonna leave that alone today. And struggle, and then to LA, does not miss a beat, right back looking like the Odell we saw in New York. Some guys need those bright lights. Maybe the lights weren't bright enough for him in Cleveland. And that is okay. That's okay. Everybody wanna down that man and talk about him. He thrives when the lights are on. And I'd much rather have a guy who thrives when the lights are on than a guy who thrives when they're off. He thrives when the lights are on. So big ups to Odell, man. I'm happy to see him back playing at the level that he's playing at. It's incredible to see.