“It Hurts”: Draymond Green Says Kobe Bryant Made Him Feel Like Trash In First On-Court Interaction

Talking trash is an art. One that those sharp-tongued athletes out there often employed. And Draymond Green falls in the most exclusive of trash-talking clubs. Each one of you will have a favorite instance of Green putting his tongue to good use on the court. One of the most viral and often brought up is that of Paul Pierce. However, these stories are where the Warriors’ veteran forward has been the winner.

What about those times when he was on the losing end of the bargain? Now, some of you might have gotten an idea of where we are going with this. Yup, the hilarious on-court incident where the late Kobe Bryant put Green in his place!

Draymond Green recounts the time when he got a good dose of Mamba snub

Joining the popular late-night talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, for the latest episode, Draymond once again recounted the memorable moment. However, it wasn’t the best experience for a green and bushy-tailed Green straight out of Michigan State. “Being the dumb rookie that I am, I try to trash talk Kobe Bryant,” Dray started.

“I get in the game for a defensive stop to take us in overtime … and it’s me and Kobe, mano a mano. We know what shot Kobe going to [take]. Shimmy, fadeaway over the left shoulder. And he missed!” Green said with the same wide-eyed shock and pride he felt that day, it seemed like. With an otherworldly excitement, he shouted, “Yeah! Let’s go baby! We’re going overtime!“

Bryant, for his part, destroyed Draymond’s enthusiasm with a single statement. “Come on young fella, that ain’t have nothing to do with you. I just missed.” Talk about emotional damage! But the 4x champion wasn’t ready to come down from his high just yet. The Big Ten Player of the Year continued screaming, “You know I locked you up,“ while Bryant simply walked away, looking as uninterested and nonchalant as a person could be.

But that was not all.

Dray was down in the dumps after that interaction

If only Bryant knew how much that exchange affected Draymond Green! It was the first time that the NABC National Player of the Year was going against the ‘Black Mamba‘ himself. Walking onto the court and seeing a legend had Green Starstruck. Thanks to that, he missed their pregame discussion, focusing instead on the pregame shooting they had then.

Those lucky ones who got to watch the 5x champion in action would agree that it was one of the most beautiful sights! You can imagine what it would mean to a rookie in the league to go face-to-face with a player they must have looked up to all through their younger days. So, for Green to have that moment, only to be tossed aside like it was nothing hurt him.

“It hurts,“ Draymond admitted. “We had that moment and he leave me feeling like trash. It was unbelievable,” he said, laughing. But there was a hint of emotion. It was a learning experience, nonetheless. But he never talked trash to Kobe Bryant, ever again! However, that didn’t stop him from improving his skills to the point where Green is now one of the best, if not THE best, trash-talkers in the league.

Do you agree? And do you feel bad for a young Draymond? Let us know your thoughts below!

But before you go, be sure to check this video of Leonardo Armato’s take on Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese.

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