Draymond Green has offered one of his most honest reflections yet on his long and complex relationship with Steve Kerr, admitting that while Kerr shaped him into a winner, he also believes his role within the Golden State Warriors system may have limited his individual ceiling.
Speaking on his show, Green described Kerr as a ‘unique person,’ someone he both deeply respects and has had difficult moments with over the course of their 14-year partnership.
“He’s such a unique person. There are things he’s done that I can never forgive him for, and yet I will do anything for him. When you spend 14 years with someone, when you’ve had the runs that we’ve had, playing the role that I’ve had to play and being who I’ve had to be, some things like that are going to happen. Everything hasn’t just been one way.”
“It hasn’t just been, oh man, Draymond Green did this, Steve Kerr is mad. I don’t take that any way at all. Speaking of that December thing, I spoke to him after that, and it was like, I don’t think you like me. I don’t think you’ve ever liked me, if I’m honest. He cried.”
“What he’s meant to me in my life, what he’s taught me, just telling him in our exit interview, the things he’s taught me about being a winner, I’m not sure where else I could have gotten that. I played for Tom Izzo, and Steve took that to a completely different level, especially showing me things about this level and winning. I could never repay him for that. It’s so important to who I’ve become.”
“As much as he’s done for me in basketball, a part of me thinks he’s hindered me in my career and what I could have become. When Kevin Durant came from 2016 on, I have not had a play in our playbook, not a single play that we run for me.”
“But if you’re going to take one gripe and not be able to move past it for all the other things, then you’re shallow as a person. That says more about you as a person than it does about Steve or whoever else in that instance. You’ve got to take the good with the bad.”
The numbers support that trajectory. During the rise of the Warriors dynasty, Green emerged as a versatile force. In the 2014-15 season, he averaged 11.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while earning All-Defensive First Team honors and finishing as a Defensive Player of the Year runner-up. The following year, during the historic 73-9 season, he reached his peak statistically with 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. He was named an All-Star, earned All-NBA Second Team honors, finished seventh in MVP voting, and again made the All-Defensive First Team.
Once Durant arrived, Green’s scoring dipped, but his impact remained. In 2016-17, he averaged 10.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.0 steals while winning Defensive Player of the Year and winning his second title. During the Warriors’ back-to-back title run, he posted 11.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.9 assists, maintaining his role as the team’s defensive anchor and primary facilitator.
The following season marked a sharper drop, as his three-point shooting regressed and his scoring fell to 7.4 points, alongside 7.3 rebounds and 6.9 assists. From that point onward, Green did not return to averaging double digits in scoring, settling fully into a playmaking and defensive role.
Across his career, Green has built a Hall of Fame resume. He is a four-time NBA champion, a Defensive Player of the Year, a four-time All-Star, and a nine-time All-Defensive selection. His value has always extended beyond traditional scoring metrics, anchored in his defensive versatility, leadership, and ability to orchestrate offense alongside stars like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Green’s comments highlight the tradeoff at the heart of championship basketball. His role required sacrifice, and while it may have limited his individual numbers, it maximized team success. He acknowledged that focusing only on that limitation would ignore everything Kerr helped him achieve, emphasizing the importance of accepting both sides of the experience.
This discussion also comes at a time of uncertainty for Kerr’s future with the franchise. Reports have suggested that his long-term position is not fully secure, and Green’s earlier remarks about the possibility of Kerr not returning have only added to that speculation.
In the end, Green’s perspective is not one of regret, but reflection. He recognizes the cost of his role, but he also understands the legacy it helped build.
