Draymond Green has heard it all before — how much of the Warriors’ success is tied to Stephen Curry, and how one more title could cement the guard’s legacy among the all-time greats.
In an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke, Green made it clear he never has felt like a footnote in that story — and never will.
“I don’t think there’s any bigger Steph fan than me,” Green told Burke. “I don’t think there’s any bigger supporter, I don’t think there’s any bigger believer. I don’t think there’s anyone that will gracefully take a back seat to that and enjoy it. So, no, I never feel that — and in large part, probably because he would never let me feel that.”
Curry and Green were drafted three years apart — Curry in 2009 and Green in 2012 — and have spent their entire NBA careers with Golden State. In that time, the Warriors have won four championships, appeared in six NBA Finals and recorded the league’s best single-season record: 73–9 in 2015–16.
Green has earned four NBA All-Star selections, two All-NBA nods and a Defensive Player of the Year award, while Curry has collected two MVP trophies and revolutionized the modern game with his shooting.
So many around the league have put Curry on a pedestal — including coach Steve Kerr, who told Burke he is “the solar system of everything Golden State does.” Burke reminded Green that much of the conversation centers on maximizing Curry’s greatness and getting him a fifth ring. But that ring would be Green’s fifth, too.
Public opinion, though, means little to Green — not if it isn’t Curry’s opinion.
“Everybody else can say what they say, and that’s fine, but I know how he feels,” Green explained. “And as long as I know how the man feels, that’s good enough for me, you know, I know the love and support and appreciation that he has for me. If I’m not appreciated by one other person, what other one really matters if he does?”
As the Warriors prepare for another season and a possible fifth championship run, Green’s focus remains on the same thing that’s fueled their dynasty from the start — his belief in Curry and the team around him.
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