Draymond Green faced off against Klay Thompson for the first time ever in the NBA in the Golden State Warriors’ 120-117 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday. After the game, Green was asked if he had kept in touch with Thompson following his departure and gave a hilarious answer.
“You ever tried to keep in touch with Klay? It’s a very one-sided thing,” Green said. “The love is there, the relationship is there. I’ll get back in touch after the season. We’ll both be in LA, we’ll kick in and spend some time together but I’m not adding more gray hairs to myself just trying to chase Klay down. No chance.”
Green and Thompson were teammates for 12 seasons on the Warriors and the former knows trying to keep in touch with the latter is an exercise in futility. The guard has never come across the type who is interested in that.
Thompson also admitted in an interview that he doesn’t keep in touch with Green and Stephen Curry. That doesn’t mean the love is gone, though, and after their first-ever game against each other in the NBA, Draymond had a nice little message for his former teammate.
“Love you, bro,” Green said. “Way to hoop.”
Thompson’s first game at Chase Center as a visiting player saw him put up 22 points, four rebounds, and three assists in 34 minutes. He went 7-17 from the field and 6-12 from beyond the arc but it wasn’t enough to get the win and the Mavericks have now dropped to 5-6 in this 2024-25 season.
While Thompson’s new team has gotten off to a rough start, his old role is on a roll. The Warriors are now 9-2 on the season and sit atop the standings in the Western Conference.
Green’s good play has played a part in this hot start and he made some big plays against the Mavericks here too. The 34-year-old played great defense down the stretch, with the highlight being an incredible block on Daniel Gafford.
Green finished the game with 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocks. He went 3-6 from the field, 2-4 from three, and 3-4 from the line as the Warriors got off to a winning start in the NBA Cup. Green and the Warriors have another Cup game coming up next, as they take on the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center on Friday at 10 PM ET.
Draymond Green Watched The Klay Thompson Tribute Video Beforehand So He Wouldn’t Be Emotional Before The Game
Green also revealed during his postgame press conference that he watched the tribute video the Warriors had prepared for Thompson beforehand so that he wouldn’t get emotional before the game.
“I just watched his tribute video earlier,” Green said. “… I just didn’t want to deal with those emotions because A, there is a love for Klay that ain’t going anywhere. But B, watching his reruns, we are all a part of that. So then you start to go into the emotion of, ‘Oh man, I remember that. Hey, on that playoff run, we had to do this, overcome this.’ You start to go down those lanes. Let him have that.
“You watch out for the first time, you deal with those emotions,” Green added. “I had zero interest in dealing with them and so that was a big thing for me. I just did not want the first time I saw his tribute video to be me standing there watching it.”
Green actually didn’t come out to the court when the video was being played. The Warriors had also provided their fans with Captain’s hats in honor of Thompson. The crowd tipped their hats to Thompson and Green was asked if he had some trouble keeping himself together at that moment. The four-time All-Star hilariously stated he didn’t because it had nothing to do with him. Green also added he would tip his cap to Thompson when he takes him on his boat in the summer.
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