Draymond hilariously recalls trash-talking Kobe as rookie originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Draymond Green is known as one of the NBA’s biggest trash talkers, but the Warriors forward still learned a hard lesson from a legend during his first professional season.
In an interview on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Green shared a hilarious story about trying to save teammates Steph Curry and Klay Thompson to join in his banter with opponents, an invitation the Splash Brothers quickly declined.
“I remember walking into the dressing room on the first day and sitting next to Steph [Curry] and Klay [Thompson], and I’m like, ‘Yeah, we’re going to talk shit to everyone!’ Green told Kimmel. “They said, ‘You’re on your own, we don’t really do that.’ I’m like, ‘You guys better talk shit to me or we’re going to have a problem.'”
Green continued with a recap of his first NBA meeting with Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, with the Los Angeles Lakers legend being impervious to the Warriors forward’s attempt to get involved in an onslaught of trash talk.
“So I go out, like the dumb rookie that I am, and I try to talk trash to Kobe Bryant,” Green explained to Kimmel. “Mind you, I’m coming into the game, I probably played 24 seconds of that game. I’m coming into the game for a defensive stop to take us to overtime under regular rules. Most people make a play…but Kobe just flashed at the ball So he flashed at the ball, and it’s just me and Kobe And I sit down, I know what shot Kobe’s going to make, fadeaway over the left shoulder.
“I said, ‘Yes! Let’s go, honey, we’re going to work late.’ He said, ‘Come on young fella, that has nothing to do with you, I just missed it.’ So you get it back and say, “Yeah, you know I locked that!” Meanwhile, he just walks away and says, “Whatever.”
“It hurts, it really does.”
Green then revealed how much he cherished the opportunity to face off against Bryant, before hilariously detailing how the Hall of Famer got the best of him in the mind games where he usually comes out on top.
“It was my first time playing against Kobe, for that game I missed all my pregame stuff because I watched his whole star-studded pregame warmup,” Green told Kimmel. “And then we have that moment, and he leaves me feeling like shit.”
Green and Bryant would face each other eight times in their NBA careers, with Golden State emerging victorious in five of those games. While Green has remained one of the most vocal players on the court throughout his decorated career with the Warriors, it’s safe to say he’s never forgotten his moment of welcome courtesy of Bryant.
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