Draymond Green is never one to bite his tongue, and after the Golden State Warriors eliminated the Houston Rockets in Game 7 of their heated first-round series, the veteran forward had plenty to say, specifically about Dillon Brooks.
On the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show, Green ripped into Brooks for his lack of sportsmanship, calling him out for leaving the court without shaking hands and failing to “face the music” after all the trash talk he spewed before and during the series.
“Dillon Brooks ran off the court. So when I say you see what guys is made of, he ran off the court, like, ain’t shaking nobody up. And you admitted that you was trying to hurt Steph’s hand, which, again, fine by me, bro.”
“Like, I get it. We all get it when you hoop. So if you’re going to be on that type of time, wear shades in the press conference, you gonna be talking, you’re going to be Mr. Big Bad Wolf, don’t lose and then not face the music. Don’t be that guy.”
“Because again, you lose a lot of respect for guys in that moment. I had a moment with Dillon Brooks back when he was with Memphis. And I said, the dynasty after you. And the reason I said that is because things like that, because, bro, you like, so then guess what?”
“Then Tari Eason do it, he leave the court. I got love for Tari Eason. His mom was talking, you know what I’m saying?”
“I got a lot of love for the way he played. And I ended up catching him right before he was about to walk out the arena. And he was walking this way, so he didn’t have to come by me, but I could, in my distance, I could see him right there. I said to him, I like waved him down and I went and I dapped him up.”
“And that was kind of a little save. But don’t be that guy, man. You lose a series, but that’s who Dillon Brooks is, you know what I’m saying? And we understand, like, but you a sucka, man. But Tari Eason, he not. It’s all love.”
“I’ll get off into that. I got a lot of love for young fella because the way he go about his business, the way he played the game, I got a lot of love for him. Don’t be like that because you lose respect. When guys lose respect for you in this league, like, it don’t matter.”
“And it’s going to catch you in the end, you know what I’m saying? Dillon Brooks couldn’t come through in this series in large part because nobody on the court respects you. So anything you do, the way it’s going to be looked at, the way it’s going to be received, it ain’t beneficial to your team.”
The animosity between Green and Brooks has been simmering for years, dating back to their intense 2022 playoff clash when Brooks was still with the Memphis Grizzlies. That series featured ejections, hard fouls, and endless trash talk.
Interestingly, Green contrasted Brooks’ behavior with another young Rocket, Tari Eason. Although Eason also left the court quickly after the loss, Green gave him some grace. Still, Green offered Eason some veteran advice: don’t follow in Brooks’ footsteps.
Draymond’s remarks hit a larger truth about the NBA: the court may be the battleground, but reputation and respect are earned far beyond the stat sheet.
And for someone like Dillon Brooks, whose on-court antics often overshadow his play, Green’s message was clear: if you’re going to talk tough, you better be man enough to own the result when it doesn’t go your way.