Leaving the game in a better place is a common theme among the pros. Draymond Green is one of the veterans of the modern game who lives by it despite his on-court controversies. Green learned that from former Warriors assistant coach Pete Myers and is passing on that teaching to the next-gen. The former DPOY even talks to the likes of Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga till 4 AM about family, business, games, and everything there is to discuss. But be warned, don’t mix up with the young ones in the wrong way, as Green found that out the hard way.

On The Draymond Green Show, the host shared his experiences bonding with the next generation of Warriors players, highlighting that he likes to mentor them. The 34-year-old explained that they trust him and listen to his veteran advice, which he believes can help them build a solid legacy, much like his own. However, Draymond cautioned his guest, Fred VanVleet, about the potential repercussions of getting on the wrong foot with the younger players. “I warn you. Be careful to thinking you can knock up with the young fellas, man,” Dray told the Rockets guard. “It ain’t insane like you used to be. And I learned that the hard way.”

VanVleet clarified that he doesn’t want to get into trouble with anyone, but if it heads in that direction, then he would let it flow. “Nope,” Green strictly disapproved it, “You don’t want it to go there, brother. I’m telling you.” Then he revealed how he learned that lesson the hard way during the Warriors’ game against the Wizards. “I spent last night’s game getting bullied because of it,” he said. To this, both VanVleet and Dray’s co-host and former NBA star, Baron Davis, burst into laughter. They were certain that Green was the one to trigger them first, but he refused. Rather, it was the Washington players who started the trash talk, accompanied by his ex-teammate, Jordan Poole.

Draymond explained that it was “Terry, Bob, and Keyshawn, Jordan” who started provoking him. At first, he was shocked to find out that those players talked trash, and then he joined in. Green admitted that he got bullied by Poole for the rest of the night, but it was all cool for him. When Poole scored, he pointed at him, which confused him as he wasn’t the one who was guarding him.

Deep down, Dray must have assumed it was probably coming from the infamous punching incident that occurred between the two when they were teammates. Poole instigated Green during the Warriors training session in 2022, which resulted in an ugly turn of events, and the latter got physical. Coming back to the game night, Green returned the favor to Poole following Stephen Curry‘s 3-pointer, and the fans on social media turned against him. But Green had a reply for them.

Draymond Green replies to the fans who misjudged his action

After the clips of the game surfaced on the internet, fans raised their voices, claiming that the Wizards’ guard pointed out to Green after he shot the bucket, whereas the power forward did it after Curry’s shot. So, they emphasized that both are not the same.

“I was just pointing back because he pointed at me,” Green clarified. Then he boldly stated, “For all the dummies on Twitter and Instagram, that’s like, well, that ain’t the same thing because Draymond didn’t make the shot, it’s the same exact thing.” Justifying his action, he added, “We both contested a shot on a man that was the spirit of the game, baby. So take that you dummies that can’t identify what’s actually happening in the game.”

The comments ignited Draymond Green, but well, it appears like he hasn’t brought his last season’s self into the new one, at least till now. That must be a relief for Steph Curry and Steve Kerr. After all, the team is heavily relying on the veteran shoulders of the two franchise players.