Draymond Green grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, with his mother, Mary Babers-Green and his two older siblings, LaToya Babers and Torrian Harris. The Golden State Warriors power forward also has two other sisters, Jordan and Gabby Davis, and another brother named Braylon Green.
Here’s what you need to know about Draymond Green’s brothers:
1. Draymond Green Grew Up With His Mother, Mary Babers-Green, & His Two Older Siblings, a Brother & a Sister
Green was raised in a neighborhood of Saginaw, Michigan called “The Nickel” by locals. Green’s mother, Mary Babers-Green, had three children of her own — Green, his older sister LaToya Babers and his older brother Torrian Harris — and they all grew up in a small house with three bedrooms, Bleacher Report shared.
Although Green’s biological father is Wallace Davis, he took his stepfather Raymond Green’s last name. Raymond Green and Babers-Green were married until Green was around 12 years old, after which she raised her three kids as a single mother. Raymond Green then went on to get remarried to Rachel Green, and they referred to their son Braylon Green as Green’s little brother.
Babers-Green said she raised her three children in a pretty strict way, giving them curfews and keeping them on the straight and narrow, she told SF Gate.
Green’s older brother Torrian Harris was also a basketball player and they often played together. Babers-Green said when they were growing up, she didn’t let either of her boys have idols that they looked up to when they played. “I didn’t let him pretend to be Michael Jordan or Magic,” she told the publication. “I always told him, ‘You’re Draymond Green.’” She added that she thinks it may have contributed to his confidence and success.
Harris shared that every time he visits his mother, her home is always filled with people from the community. He said she’s extremely selfless and recalled one instance when he and his siblings tried to get a Mother’s Day present for Babers-Green.
“We were real young,” he told Mercury News. “We saved up our money, hit up our penny banks, found quarters. All of that. We went and bought her a gift to show our appreciation. She made us take it back and get our money back. She didn’t want us to spend our money on her – which, at the time, I was fine with.”
2. Torrian Harris Played Basketball in High School & College
Green’s older brother Torrian Harris was born on December 18, 1987, and like Green, he also plays basketball. Harris played for Saginaw High School and even had a slight overlap with Green when both played together. According to his college bio, Harris received an all-conference honorable mention selection in high school and was a member of the National Honor Society and the recipient of Saginaw High’s Scholar Athlete Award.
After high school, Harris attended Lansing Community College, where he excelled. His bio states that he “Finished his junior college career with 985 points and was voted the team MVP in his final season.” Afterward, he attended the University of Nebraska Omaha from 2009 to 2011 and majored in business management. During his senior year, he was named to the MIAA All-Defensive Team.
While Green was three years younger than Harris, the brothers managed to not only play with each other competitively but also against each other when they were in college.
3. Draymond Green & Torrian Harris Played Together Growing Up & Faced Off in an Exhibition Match in College
Harris and Green grew up playing basketball together, telling MLive that they used to play one-on-one at their grandmother’s house. Harris said he always won those match-ups. Afterward, they began playing in youth basketball leagues together and then AAU until they were able to play one season on the same team at Saginaw High School.
Babers-Green shared that when they were kids, Green was always trying to play with Harris in the older boys’ teams. “He was that little engine,” she told GQ. “I think I can. I think I can. That’s Draymond. He’s like that little caboose.” She said when Green was in fourth grade, Harris was playing in fifth and sixth grade. “His uncle and his step dad were the coach and he was telling them: ‘Put me on the big team! I can help them win!’ And he helped them win a championship,” she shared.
After high school, the two brothers faced off in an exhibition game, with Green suiting up for Michigan State while Harris was playing in his final year for Nebraska-Omaha. Green’s coach asked the team for suggestions for exhibition match-ups and agreed to his suggestion of facing Nebraska-Omaha, Green told MLive. “I was pretty thankful for that,” he said at the time. “I’m excited about it. It’ll be the first time ever playing my brother in my career, so I’m pretty excited about it.”
Their family and friends all traveled to the Breslin Center in East Lansing for the match and Harris said there was going to be a lot of trash-talking. “That’s part of the game, especially when I’m playing against my brother,” the future NBA star said. “We’re going to try to keep it to a minimum.” Harris, for his part, said he was really excited to face his brother after so many times playing on the same team.
Green’s coach made sure the two brothers were introduced at the same time so they could shake hands before the game in front of their nearly 30 family members in attendance, according to Spartans Illustrated. Green’s Michigan State ended up beating Nebraska-Omaha 102-72, with Green getting 16 points while Harris got 13 points.
When they were both younger, Harris always beat Green in their one-on-ones, but Harris said it eventually became clear that Green was destined for greater things. In 2010, before they faced off for their respective colleges, Harris told MLive, “He’ll probably go to the NBA. And I’ll be working somewhere.”
4. Torrian Harris Worked for General Motor & Now Lives With His Wife & Children in Texas
According to MLive, Harris is the one behind Green’s nickname “Day Day,” because he had trouble pronouncing his little brother’s name when he was just a toddler. “I guess I made up a name for him,” he shared. “It stuck.”
Although a Mercury News article from 2017 stated that Harris was then living in Flint, Michigan and working for General Motors, it seems that he’s since moved to Grand Prairie, Texas. Harris’ LinkedIn profile shows that he’s now living in Texas and many of his Instagram posts with his family are tagged there as well. He is married and has three children that he often posts updates about.
Despite the distance between the family members, the two brothers are as close as ever and Green has often posted birthday messages to his siblings. “Happy Born Day to my brotha. My Best Man. Day 1. Til the wheels fall off. Love ya boiiiiiii!” he wrote in one post’s caption.
Another post showing his older brother and sister when they were kids was captioned, “Will do anything for these two right here… [Harris] just is what it is I used to fight for this dude because he’s so laid back and quiet but he fight better than me… Never knew that til I tried him one day lol my big sis and big bro I love y’all.” In another post, he wrote that he and Harris were “raised in the same home” since the day he was born.
5. Draymond Green Also Has a Younger Brother Named Braylon Green Who Is in His Senior Year of High School & on the Wrestling Team
According to Green’s Team USA bio, the NBA star has two brothers, Torrian Harris and Braylon Green. The age difference between Green and Braylon Green is greater than with Harris and he hasn’t posted much on social media with his younger brother.
After the NBA star’s mother split from his stepfather Raymond Green, the latter remarried a woman named Rachel Green and they welcomed a son, Braylon Green. In 2017, Rachel Green posted that her son Braylon was spending time with his older brothers, and shared a photo of her boy with Green and Harris.
Braylon Green is a high school senior at Arthur Hill High School, where he’s on the wrestling team, according to social media. He also recently posted that he’d received a full-ride academic scholarship to Saginaw Valley State University.
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Draymond Green’s Brothers: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know