No player has faced as much ridicule in recent weeks as Draymond Green. The Warriors man has been the main topic of conversation within the NBA fandom and has been hammered from all sides. After the video of him punching Jordan Poole, fans, players, and media members have come out to express their displeasure at Green’s behavior, or at least to call it out in some way.
There have been those that have a problem with the fact that the public got to see a video of the situation in the first place. While a lot of former players and players have condemned the altercation, just as many have suggested that this isn’t a completely uncommon occurrence. There have been stories of players getting into fights in the NBA’s history, after all, some of the greatest ever got violent with their teammates.
And while the merits and demerits of whether this kind of fighting is good are up for discussion, people like Shaquille O’Neal believe that a lot of the vitriol towards Draymond at the minute is coming from people who don’t understand the competitive sport.
Shaquille O’Neal Told The People ‘Messing With’ Draymond Green To Shut The Hell Up
Sports at the highest level take a different type of crazy to excel in. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, all these players were hard to understand for the common person. Their motivations, their habits, and their tendencies were all geared towards winning to the exclusion of everything else. And speaking on The Big Podcast, O’Neal brought up that angle to defend Draymond Green.
“All you people messing with Draymond? Mind your damn business! I know the game is a nice game and we should get along but you guys that don’t know about competitive sport, you had no idea what you’re talking about. Just shut the hell up and be a fan.
“I think when you win championships, the others come back, they come back different. … Jordan Poole definitely played a big part in them winning. I think a lot of times those people tried to check the pecking order status. The pecking order status for that team belongs to three people: Draymond, Klay and Steph.”
This is a very Shaquille O’Neal take on the subject. Shaq himself got into physical fights with his teammates, Kobe Bryant included. But times have changed, and even considering the competitive spirit and the desire to win, it’s hard to excuse Draymond Green’s actions. In any case, the matter seems to have been handled, although all the consequences haven’t become clear yet.
