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Golden State Warriors veteran star forward Draymond Green is widely viewed as one of the NBA’s most intense players. However, according to the four-time NBA champion, he was hesitant to display his emotions until he received critical advice from a former teammate.
On “The Draymond Green Show,” Green spoke with three-time Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford about the seminal influences on his career. Green highlighted advice he received from former 17-year NBA veteran Richard Jefferson during his brief stint with Golden State (2012-2013).
According to Green, he struggled with keeping his emotions in check early in his career, as he wanted to avoid receiving technical fouls and fines. However, Jefferson encouraged him to embrace his intensity for the betterment of his team and to prolong his career.
“When you look at my demeanor on the basketball court when I first came into the league, I was me, but I was like, ‘Man, I can’t get techs, I can’t do this,’” Green said. “R.J. was like, ‘Yes, you can. You should get techs. The only way you’re gonna make it is [by] being that guy. You have to be okay with that.’
“I was like, ‘Yeah, R.J., but I don’t want the fines.’ At the time, I was making a few dollars, I’m a second-round pick. He’s like, ‘You have to look at it as an investment in yourself. You just have to be okay with that because who you need to be for this team, you gotta be okay with getting some of that.’”
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Jefferson’s advice proved to be beneficial to Green and Golden State. With his trademark intensity, Green became the heart and soul of the Warriors’ last four NBA title teams (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022).
However, he and Jefferson ended up becoming rivals after Golden State traded the veteran in 2013. Jefferson squared off against Green as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 and 2017 NBA Finals.
Jefferson got the edge in 2016, as his Cavaliers famously came back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat Green’s Warriors 4-3.
However, Green got revenge a year later, as Golden State dominated Cleveland 4-1.
Also Read: "Shut the f*** up": Draymond Green calls out NBA fans for ignorance drawing contrast to NFL
After following Richard Jefferson’s advice, Draymond Green racked up over $4 million in fines
As for Draymond Green’s fear of racking up technical fouls and fines, that appears to be long gone. Green has received a league-leading 20 ejections and six suspensions over his 12-year career. Additionally, per Spotrac, he has forfeited a whopping $4,092,073 in career fines.
However, after channeling his passion for the game, the former Defensive Player of the Year has earned a massive $177,883,613 and counting in career earnings. He also inked a new four-year, $100 million contract with the Warriors in the offseason that runs until the end of 2027.
Thus, it appears that Green’s decision to embrace his intensity paid off, and then some.
