Draymond GreenForward, Golden State Warriors

"Giannis Don't Shoot!" The Unwritten Rules of the NBA Are Absolutely TERRIBLE!

3 Jan 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:45

In this monologue, NBA player Draymond Green challenges the unwritten NBA convention that teams should refrain from shooting when they are already ahead late in a game. He cites Giannis Antetokounmpo’s windmill dunk against the Bulls as an example of a team scoring after the outcome was essentially decided, and argues that opponents have no right to be upset when a winning team continues to score. Green emphasizes that the game clock still runs and points still count, and that coaches have always taught players to play from start to finish. He also recounts a personal anecdote about a turnover situation involving Stephen Curry, rejecting the notion that a winning team should avoid taking risks or shooting in the final moments. Overall, Green’s tone is conversational yet critical, dismissing the unwritten rule as "terrible" and advocating for aggressive, full‑court play regardless of the score.

Chapters

Then there's this unwritten rule like, "Oh, you're winning, you shouldn't shoot the ball." That. Giannis windmill dunk versus the Bulls when the game was already won. I must say, I always hate when guys get upset at the end of the game 'cause somebody go score. Like, bro, you lost the game. There was a 48-minute time clock that you could've did any of that. Don't get mad at us for scoring in the last seconds of the game. There's still time on the clock. And by the way, those 2, 3 points count. Every coach your whole life has told you play from the start to the finish, from the beginning buzzer to the end buzzer. And then there's this unwritten rule like, "Oh, you're winning, you shouldn't shoot the ball." That. We had a situation where we was gonna take a turnover. Steph's about to take a turnover. I'm like, "Yo, throw me the ball." And then I hit the man in the middle. Melt, shoot it. You open. But we not taking a turnover. We got a turnover problem. You can't shoot it because you're winning. Miss me with that. No thank you. Shoot the ball.