Draymond admits he deliberately created a ‘rift’ between CP3. Steph originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
As any basketball fan knows, Warriors forward Draymond Green is one of the NBA’s most unique characters.
So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Green has implemented some unusual motivational strategies in Golden State’s locker room.
That includes his recent admission that he created a “rift” between teammates Steph Curry and Chris Paul last season, as Green explained on Friday’s episode of “The Draymond Green Show.”
In an interview with co-host Baron Davis and Warriors teammate Moses Moody, the conversation shifted to the hyper-competitive mentality of rival NBA players. Moody then drew parallels to the relationship between Green and Paul, who moved from longtime Western Conference opponents to co-stars in Golden State for the 2023-2024 NBA season.
“I hated CP, man. And not only did I hate him, but we were always fighting,” Green explained. “You have to think: CP is at the heart of everything we were trying to achieve. He was the top dog at point guard.
“So I come in and I look at the relationship between him and Steph, and I think that’s not going to work if we want to be who we want to be — [Paul] be a bit like your big brother.”
It appears Green was concerned about Curry deferring to Paul because of the respect that existed between the two stars.
“So I started getting messy in between and creating a gap because I was like, I need this gap to move forward,” Green continued. “They were super close. I started deliberately creating a rift because I felt like CP was using that to his advantage. And when I created a rift with them, me and CP [clashed]and under no circumstances do I even want to correct it.”
Whatever Green’s exact intention, it does not appear to have been completely successful. The Warriors finished as just the No. 10 seed in the West and lost to the Sacramento Kings in the NBA play-in tournament. Meanwhile, Golden State declined to pick up Paul’s team option for 2024, ending the veteran’s short-lived tenure in the Bay Area.
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