In this episode of The Draymond Green Show, host Draymond Green sits down with former Warrior Stephen Jackson to reminisce about the 2006‑07 "We Believe" season. Jackson explains that the core of the team’s success was a deep, pre‑existing bond among the players—friendships that dated back years (e.g., with Matt Barnes, Al Harrington, Baron Davis, and Jay Rich). As journeymen seeking redemption, they arrived in Oakland with a shared desire to prove themselves. The group forged a scrappy, gritty identity under Don Nelson’s permissive coaching style, which let them "be us" on and off the court. Jackson recounts a memorable anecdote where Nelson took him and Davis to a bar for shuffleboard, got them drunk, and then announced they were the team captains—illustrating the coach’s trust and the team’s camaraderie. The players’ connection with the Bay Area community is highlighted: they hung out with fans, embraced the city’s longing for a winning team, and their upset of the top‑seed Dallas Mavericks felt like a championship for the region. Throughout, both speakers emphasize the importance of caring for each other, the city’s love, and the unique swagger that defined that era.
Chapters
Speaking of our connective tissue, in the beginning of the show, you came to the Warriors, had one of the best years here. And I don't know what y'all was doing here, man, but the way they love y'all around here is crazy. I have to hear stories from Eric Howson about you guys all the time. He worship the ground you walk on. He worship the ground Matt walk on, Jay Rich. Draymond Green, Monte, Al, that whole group. What was it that brought that team together? It happened at the deadline, right? Like, wasn't expected to make the playoffs. What was it that brought that team together to put y'all in a position to have the year that y'all end up having, beating Dallas in the first round and kind of bringing life back to this organization because they hadn't seen anything, any winning, any sort of winning for years.
Well, I think the biggest thing is something that y'all highlight today with the team now. We cared about each other. You know what I'm saying? That was big. I think I had already knew, me and Matt were already best. I mean, Al was already best friends. I met Al at 18. He was 18, I was 20. I've been knowing BD since 16. I've been knowing Jay Rich for a while. And so these were a lot of guys that I knew, but we were all journeymen. We were all guys that were still trying to get together to prove something. And with Indiana, that was my second time being in trouble there in a year and a half, 2 years. They were like, "Man, we gotta get rid of this guy. I mean, enough is enough." You know what I mean? So it was a blessing in disguise. Al didn't wanna go 'cause Al had just got traded back to Indiana.
Yeah.
He had just got traded back there and he had just bought a house. So they— but the only way for the trade to work was they had to put Al in the trade. And it was a blessing in disguise for all of us because things wasn't going right there. They didn't have a winning attitude though, you know? And I think we brought a swag to the team that was needed. You know, BD was doing his thing.
Yeah.
Draymond Green was doing his thing, but they didn't have a— we didn't have an identity. I think when we came, our identity became a scrappy team. They're not that— they don't look the best on paper, but they gonna bang and they gonna make you work every night to the point where we got confident. We started winning. I think we won 19 outta 21.— to make it to the playoffs, something like that. But I think we cared about each other, but our coach let us be us. It was a number of things. The city embraced it, like the city was longing for it. Every night, Dray, we was in the city at some spot with all the regular people. Like the whole team, we in there shirt off, bandanas, drinking. We in there just like regular people every night, but it's the whole team, right?
Absolutely.
And I think, the organization was losing for so long, being able to beat the number 1 seed in the first round, it felt like a championship, right?
Absolutely.
It felt like a championship to the whole Bay Area, right? And it just changed everything to the point when y'all came and won, it just felt like it was dressed up for it.
Yep.
You know what I'm saying?
Yep, absolutely.
It was a great time. Nelly let us be us. Quick story. Nelly, I was never captain on no team. Beginning of the season, Nelly asked me and Baron Davis to come to a bar and play shuffleboard with him. Never played shuffleboard in my life. It's not a Black game. Nobody plays shuffleboard.
Yeah.
So he brings us there, we playing shuffleboard, we drink, he gets us drunk off 2 bottles of scotch and doesn't talk about basketball the whole time. And as he's leaving, as me and BD about to fall over on the bar, he tells, "Oh yeah, by the way," "I brought y'all here to tell y'all y'all captains." And walks out the restaurant, bro. While we sitting there trying to figure out how we gonna get home. He just walks out on us, man. He was the best, bro. He allowed us to be us and we gave him our all because he didn't try to change none of us. And that's the best compliment I got from a coach. Don Nelson is one of the winningest coaches ever.
Yep.
And the compliment after we beat the Mavs, he was like, "Well, one thing about Steven Jackson." If I had to pick a team, if I had to pick my starting 5, I wish I could have 5 Stephen Jacksons. So that's my whole deal to me.
That's incredible, man. And I definitely know how it is to be in Oakland and that love they show. Like I know, like I said, the way it was going, no winning, and they can grab onto y'all, and y'all as real as y'all are, and showing them love, partying with them. I know how they grabbed onto that, 'cause I know how they grabbed onto me, you know, and just show you that love and kind of just adopt you as one of their own, man.
Ain't no— You gave that feel back over there. We gave them, you gave them, you brought that back. Yeah, the winning was cool, but that grit that the city is basically built off, you brought that back. You know what I'm saying? And so it was easy for them, like that's what they was looking for.
Absolutely. Nah, it's an incredible place, man. And they represent their own.
