The Warriors have had a rocky start to the season (9-8 record so far) and have thus become subject to a lot of scrutiny from experts and fans around the league. Among them was the former NBA All-Star Kenyon Martin, who recently seemed to call Draymond Green a ‘fake tough guy’ by leaving him off a list of the NBA’s top enforcers.
He further clarified his take on Gilbert Arenas’ show, ‘The Arena,’ and called Green soft for being calculative in picking his targets that don’t want any smoke with him. Draymond Green did not take this lightly and went on his own podcast to clap back at the former NBA player.
At first, Green expressed his deep regret about being from the same place as Kenyon Martin and Serena Williams, i.e., Saginaw, Michigan, and yet not being able to gain his support despite having grown up rooting for him.
The following is an excerpt from the latest episode of the Warriors veteran’s podcast, ‘The Draymond Green Show,’ where he spoke at length about Kenyon Martin.
“So, the constant shots have been a little confusing to me because I don’t quite know where they came from. And you’d think, you know, someone who was a number one pick that didn’t quite have the career that I’ve had, but played similar roles in a sense, would appreciate it, would show more love.”
“Especially when you go back to a kid born and raised in Saginaw, you think it’ll be a little more love. So, it’s a little disappointing to see the constant shots. You know, I just always thought it would be a little more love than that.”
“But when you were the number one pick and effectively, you know, underachieved, I guess that would be the reason why. To be the number one pick and make the All-Star Game one time. Most would say it’s probably an underachievement, you know, considering that I was the 35th pick and made the All-Star Game four times.”
“I was a defensive player of the year, and Kenyon Martin was a defender. I think he would consider himself a good defender. Never quite reached the pinnacle of that when you talk Defensive Player of the Year, you know, or nine all-defensive teams that I have, and he has zero.”
“You know, it’s tough to sit in a space of like continuing to speak on my name and call my name out as if I underachieved or am underachieving, when I was just simply the 35th pick in the NBA draft and somebody took a swing on me in the second round and it just happened to work out, you know, to become one of the greatest players in their franchise history.”
“It just happened to work out. You’d think there would be more love from a guy who plays similar roles but underachieved a bit. Like you’d think he’d be like, ‘Man, but look at the heights that this guy took it to.’ And then so that the guys cut from a mold like us, so that now it’s a path created that they can take to even higher heights.”
“That’s the love that I thought would be there, but it’s just been a little weird and like constant shots, you know, and due to my respect and my love because of the connection that I once shared, you know, or still share from Saginaw being, you know, born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan.”
“I’ve held off on responding multiple times. Number one, because I just know when I respond to sh** you know, it takes on a whole other world. And guys get more publicity than they necessarily get when I don’t respond. So, I’ve been kind of taking the path of like I ain’t going to say anything because I don’t want to give people more publicity.”
“But more importantly than the publicity, I try to stay in a space of respect. You know what I’m saying?” I try not to be moved by someone just saying a thing or two because, at the end of the day, I still have my beliefs. And my beliefs are, man, I’ve rooted for this guy for a very long time, you know?”
“So, I’m not a wishy-washy guy, just because somebody says something. I’m not just going to jump out there and be like, “Oh man, like I got to respond.” Like, no, I stand on what I believe in, and what I’ve believed in is like, ‘No, I supported that guy. So, I’m not just going to jump off the rails and attack him or respond and get into these back-and-forths because of the respect and love that I had growing up as a kid.'”
“But man, the shots just keep coming. And it’s like, dang, why? And again, I just don’t know how you can continue to shoot at me and you underachieve. Like one all-star, make no mistake about it. You are an all-star. I give you that. A lot of people can’t say they’re an all-star. So, I give you that. You’re a one-time all-star. That’s beautiful.”
“But you must admit, like to be the player that you were and defender that you believed you were, and to not have like a single all-defensive second team, it’s kind of an underachievement.”
“You know, the No. 1 pick in the draft. A lot of people look for that guy to win Rookie of the Year. Didn’t. All rookie team, though. First team all-rookie. You know, that’s an accolade that I can’t say I have. I ain’t really played much as a rookie as the 35th pick. So, I can’t say I made the all-rookie team. So, kudos. I tip my hat to that, you know, it started off promising.”
“But I just, like I said, man, the shots, they’re they’re just a little baffling to me. Um, because of all the criticism, like if I stopped playing basketball today, my career would be better, way more impactful.”
“You know, think Martin lost in a couple of NBA finals. He got to sniff it. Didn’t quite get a taste, but got a little sniff of it. So, your resume has to be a little better to just keep taking shots. It’s not that people like your resume don’t match can’t say, but these have been shots being taken.”
“And it’s just a little disappointing because, like I said, that’s a guy whom I cheered for relentlessly. You know, him in 2000 playing for the Cincinnati Bearcats. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to see that championship through either. My big brother, Mateen Cleaves, went and took that championship, you know. So, yeah, man. It’s just a little disappointing that it’s kind of come down to this.”
Draymond Green clearly took Kenyon Martin’s words personally despite saying that he has a lot of love for the guy. It will be interesting to see if Kenyon Martin responds to these claims from Green.
Green has so far averaged 7.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists, while shooting 39.1% from the field in the 15 games he has played this season. The Warriors are set to face the Trail Blazers tonight, and the best response for Green to this debate is to show his greatness on the court and help his team bring home the win.
