“I personally think if I ever coached college bball I’d destroy all these guys!” said Draymond Green when criticizing Syracuse Orange back in February. The 34-year-old Golden State Warriors player watches college basketball and is not afraid to hand out criticisms. Despite the NBA regular season being in full swing for him and his teammates, Green seems to be still taking some time out to watch the NCAA tournament.
However, there’s one player who hasn’t exactly left him impressed.

Earlier today, Green took to his official Instagram account, sharing a clip with his 4.1 million followers. The video highlighted the recent matchup between Auburn and Vermont. In the clip, Auburn Tigers forward Jahki Howard can be seen waiting for a pass near the basket but being repeatedly denied. Despite it being the first game of the season, Howard ended with just 7 points. By posting the clip, Draymond Green raised a question for his followers: “Awful teammate or betting on the game?” Woah!

The Vermont matchup marked Jahki Howard’s first college basketball game, and Draymond Green may not be too familiar with him yet. So, Green’s question might not be aimed solely at the young star but could also be a commentary on the ongoing issue of college gambling. College basketball generates significant attention, with fans willing to wager on teams they believe will succeed. As highlighted by The Guardian, legal betting brought in $2.7 billion during March Madness. University of Dayton head coach Anthony Grant even spoke about how legalized betting has led to instances of players being harassed by individuals who lost their bets.

Reports reveal that one in three high-profile athletes receive abusive messages from someone with a betting interest. No reports indicate that anyone put unwanted influence on the players in the Auburn-Vermont game. However, given how things have changed since betting became legal in college basketball games, the Warriors star is simply asking a question.

For Jahki Howard, this may have simply been a game where he didn’t get a fair shot. The 6’6″ freshman from Boston, ranked No. 61 overall by 247Sports in this year’s recruiting class, has a lot of potential. However, one game is not enough to judge his abilities, nor should it be used as the basis for any unfounded ‘betting’ accusations. The issue of online harassment related to gambling extends beyond NCAA players. Draymond Green, too, has faced criticism from people who lost bets, but with years of experience, he’s learned to brush off the negativity and not let the haters get to him.

Draymond Green Responds to Haters Losing Bets with “You Suck at Betting”

Back in February 2023, Draymond Green revealed how he was supposed to get 7.5 points during a previous game, but he only got 7. The reason he knows this is because one NBA fan personally wrote to him about this. He devoted one part of the segment to address such fans.

“People talk so crazy on social media when they bet, and they don’t successfully complete their bets. It’s ‘Draymond, you suck. You only had seven points.’ But, it’s like, actually you suck at betting,” said Green. “Because just like I only had seven points and it was 7.5, you could have very well chose under 7.5 and you chose 7.5 over. Does that make me dumb and sorry, or does that make you dumb and sorry at betting?”

With the NCAA Basketball season in full swing too, we may or may not get more such captions from Draymond Green in the coming days. Whether any of them will once again be about Jahki Howard will only be answered in due course.