Once bitter rivals, Draymond Green and Chris Paul are still adjusting to life as teammates after the big trade last summer made the players teammates for the first time ever. And while both players have made peace since joining forces, that doesn’t erase how bad things got between the two alpha competitors.
“In an interview, I was asked about people that I don’t like in the NBA,” said Green. “And I said ‘I hate Chris Paul.’ Easily 100% my least favorite person in the NBA. You get something sent to your phone I’m saying something like that and I’m wondering what was being said in that group chat when that came up…”
Draymond admits Chris Paul was his least favorite player in the NBA 😂 @TheVolumeSports pic.twitter.com/vUl1GH8rxk
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 25, 2024
There was some real animosity between Draymond and Chris Paul, which probably stemmed from the teams themselves (Clippers and Warriors), who faced off several times in the Western Conference playoffs. As two hard-nosed veterans and ultra-high competitors, Paul and Green often clashed when they played each other and it’s no secret that they relished in taking the other down.
Draymond And Paul Were Not On Good Terms
Over the years, Chris Paul has built up a reputation around the league for being a borderline “dirty” player on the court, and the same can be said of Draymond who had multiple suspensions to account for his antics. So when the Warriors and Clippers clashed in the mid-2010s, it’s no surprise that they developed a rivalry and it got personal when Green admitted to reporters that he just “don’t like CP” and that they “don’t have a good relationship at all.”
Neither Draymond nor Paul elaborated on their rivalry but it was one of those unspoken things that was obvious to everyone. It wasn’t until this past summer, when they became teammates, that the veil was finally lifted and they had to bury the hatchet once and for all. Now working together on the same team, Draymond and Chris have their hands full this season but there is still some hope that they can recover and become the team we saw win it all just a year and a half ago.
Rough Situation In Golden State
Chris Paul was initially very optimistic about his potential with Draymond Green, telling reporters that he felt sorry for “any teams that gotta play against us.” Unfortunately, neither Paul nor Green have played a ton of games this season due to various reasons. For Chris, his age and years of mileage have taken a toll on his body and he’s missed a chunk of this season already with injuries. On the court, he’s pulled his weight off the bench with averages of 8.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game on 42.4% shooting.
For Green, he’s been off the floor for different reasons. As the Warriors have struggled to win games, he completely lost his cool on the court and just recently came back from suspension after a series of violent incidents on the court. All of this while the Warriors are below .500 on the season. Needless to say, the situation is complicated for Golden State and this season has not been what the team was hoping for when they acquired Paul this past summer.
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