On Tuesday, 3x NBA champion Draymond Green talked about where his trash talking & competitive drive comes from.
(Via CLNS Media):
“There is an art to trash talking. If you grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, it’s naturally given to you. For me personally, growing up the way I did, you can’t survive if you can’t talk on the court. You can go out there quiet if you want to. You can play as good as you want. If you’re quiet, they’re going to think you’re soft. They’re going to try to bully you. That’s just kinda the way I learned. For a young guy, I think there’s a balance, right? I’m assuming you’re talking about Grant Williams? Of course you are. I think when you see that, when you see a guy say, ‘Man, I grew up watching him.’ You appreciate it, because that’s why you work. You work to create a path for the next young guy. Like, my goal when I came in here was to create a path for Grant Williams. To hear him say that is an honor, so I don’t take that for granted one bit. When a guy comes and starts, when you say that and then you start talking junk to me, then yes, I’m going to say something about that. Of course. But, I didn’t say anything about that Game 1 because he wasn’t talking to me. I’m not going to go watch his press conference where he gives me props, where he appreciates my game and then go throw it in his face. That’s whack to me. I’m not doing that. That’s just not how I roll.
“LeBron James, when I was wearing LeBron James’ sneakers in my first one, two, three years and playing against him, he didn’t throw it in my face like, ‘Dude, you got on my sneakers.’ It’s just not something you do. Once he starts going at me and it got chippy and he’s yap, yap, yap. Alright, bro, you can’t say that and then come and say this. It just doesn’t add up to me. So then, you just go wherever you’ve got to go, and for me that’s where I’m going. Do I feel like, ‘No man, I shouldn’t have said that?’ No, it’s the heat of the battle. You’re out there on the court. You get to feel sorry for him or yourself if you want to. It’s going to turn on you. No, you just keep it moving. I’m also someone who, you know, things happen on the basketball court. Things are said on the basketball court. It’s the basketball court. I then leave the basketball court, I go home to my life, my normal life. But, I am not one that’s like, ‘Oh, man, such & such did this on the court and now I need to feel a way.’ It’s the basketball court.”