Draymond Green has never been shy about defending his name, and this week he delivered a thoughtful response to Charles Oakley’s belief.
Oakley, a 19-year NBA veteran known as one of the league’s toughest enforcers, recently suggested that Green’s trash-talking, hyper-emotional style “would’ve been different in his era,” prompting Green to address the comments head-on during The Draymond Green Show.
“Uncle Oak is my guy, so there will be no slander here. I got the utmost respect, Uncle Oak did it at the highest level at what he was in this league, and I respect that,” Green said. “So what I will say is this. I respect everything Uncle Oak said and his opinion is his opinion. I disagree with some of it, as in like Draymond’s style wouldn’t fit in the NBA in the 90s. And I disagree with that because my style of who Draymond Green is, I created my style.”
From there, Green explained why the conversation goes far deeper than trash talk or physicality.
He pointed to his evolution from a 16-point scorer at Michigan State to a second-round pick who had to reshape his entire identity to earn a place in the league.
“I’m a basketball player, so I know how to adjust to different situations. When I came into this league, I was not who I am today. I created this guy, who I am today,” Green said. “When I came in this league, I scored the basketball… Most importantly, I was a winner before I got here and after I got here.
“So, I became who I became while not quite being myself, which is why I love me and I’m so proud of me. Because I feel like if you task someone with becoming someone totally different than who they ever were, they may become serviceable NBA players but they usually don’t become potential Hall of Famers.”
READ MORE: Draymond Green Questions Warriors Commitment to Winning