As great a player Draymond Green has been over his twelve-year career, it is no secret that sometimes, it can be difficult to have him on your team because of his antics. Having been a part of multiple controversial and rather memorable incidents, Draymond has developed a bad reputation around the league. But as it turns out, the Warriors are not the only ones to have dealt with Draymond’s antics as his former Olympics coach Jay Wright hilariously blamed the Bay Area star for making him part ways with his coaching career.

During a wholesome moment on Inside The NBA, Draymond got a chance to interview his former coach. And surprised by Wright’s decision to retire two years ago, Draymond wondered if the new rule changes drove him to an early retirement. To that, the Villanova legend replied, “No Draymond. It was strictly coaching you in the Olympics. After that, I was done.” With Wright’s brutal admission catching everyone by surprise, the Inside The NBA panel, along with Draymond, couldn’t help but laugh at his hilarious response.

Of course, Wright was not serious in his response and was pulling Draymond’s leg in good fun, and quickly revealed how memorable that trip was for him, “It was awesome. I loved being a part of that with you.” Working as the assistant coach of the USA Men’s basketball team since 2018, Wright was part of the coaching staff for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. And under Gregg Popovich’s guidance, with Draymond on the roster, the Villanova legend brought home his first Olympic gold medal. On tonight’s show, Wright claimed that he would cherish that memory for life.

Draymond Green had nothing to do with Jay Wright’s decision

After putting Draymond on the spot and getting a good laugh out of the panel, Wright revealed the actual reason for his retirement. Admitting to no longer having the same energy that he had in the previous years as a head coach, and what he demanded from his players, Wright said, “If I couldn’t give the same energy, I wasn’t gonna do that and try to demand it of them.” Always instilling the belief in his players that if they were not giving their hundred percent, then they are practically playing against their team. Wright did not intend to be the weak link on the team because of his lack of energy.

Even after he retired in 2022, Wright admitted having lost his edge in coaching that came to him naturally, and that made him reevaluate his career. On top of that, the introduction of NIL for young athletes that makes their college future a bit uncertain, also was a big change for Wright to work through. Then, he even commended Villanova’s current head coach, Kyle Neptune, for dealing with that really well after Wright’s departure.

Despite his shocking early retirement, Jay left with a legacy that will forever be remembered by true basketball fanatics. In his historic career at Villanova that spanned over two decades, Wright led the Wildcats to two NCAA national titles in 2016 and 2018, coaching future Knicks stars Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson, and Donte DiVincenzo. With that, he also bagged multiple Final Four appearances and the Big East Coach of the Year award six times in his illustrious career, and that got him inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame three years ago. So, after a historic career, it is commendable that Wright knew exactly when it was time for him to move on to the next chapter of his life.