Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green says modern basketball is straying from its roots — and becoming a sport for the wealthy.
On a recent episode of The Draymond Green Show, the four-time NBA champion reflected on the changing landscape of youth development, agreeing with LeBron James’ criticism of the modern training culture.
“Basketball used to be a poor man’s game… now it’s a rich kid game,” Green said. “There’s no imagination. Everybody’s doing the same thing.”
The veteran forward linked the shift to the rise of personal trainers, suggesting that many young players rely too heavily on structured workouts instead of organic court experience.
His comments came in response to James’ remarks on the Mind The Game podcast, where the league’s all-time leading scorer said he never worked with a personal trainer until several years into his NBA career.
“I didn’t have a basketball trainer until my 2nd, 3rd or 4th year in the NBA,” James said, emphasizing the importance of pickup games and unstructured play in his early development.
James, who entered the league in 2003 directly out of high school, credited his growth to “just being on the court” and playing regularly, not tailored drills or private coaching.
Green echoed that sentiment, pointing out how the game has become less instinctive and more uniform as training culture dominates the youth system.
Both players expressed concern that the accessibility which once defined basketball is fading, replaced by pay-to-play systems and a growing dependence on trainers.
