Getty Draymond Green reacts to a play during a game against the Dallas Mavericks.
Draymond Green said this NBA season feels different now that his children are old enough to watch and understand the game. This week, his son got to be part of the game.
The Golden State Warriors big man opened up about a special moment that his oldest boy shared with teammate Steph Curry before a game. A viral video showed young Draymond Jr. playing with Curry before a game, and the proud father took to social media to share his thoughts about it.
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A Moment to Remember
During a Warriors practice last week, Green’s young son joined his dad on the court and got to rebound for Curry as he took free throws. A video that Green shared on Instagram showed his son corraling the rebound after Curry’s shots and passing the ball back to him.
Dray knows how much DJ will appreciate this moment one day 💙👏
[via @Money23Green /IG]
Green tried to put the practice in perspective, writing in his Instagram story that one day his son will realize the significance of that moment.
“One day DJ will grow up and realize ‘D**n I was rebounding and passing the best shooter ever’, not often do you meet the best at anything! Wow,” Green wrote, via NBC Sports Bay Area.
Curry has often invited his own children in on special moments for the Warriors, famously holding then 2-year-old daughter Riley on his lap while speaking to reporters after a Western Conference Finals game in 2015. She later joined him for other postseason moments as the Warriors went on to win the title that year.
Green Wants to Impress His Kids
This has been an especially important season for Green and his kids. The Warriors star opened up to reporters about how this is the first season that his kids have watched a good Golden State team. Green’s oldest daughter is seven, so most of her memories are from the two seasons when the Warriors fell short of the playoffs and Green himself struggled. Now that the Warriors are once again on top of the NBA, Green wants his kids to see how good he and the team can play.
“My son is getting older, my oldest daughter, she’s seven now,” Green said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “They kind of get on my a** if we lose, so that’s motivation. And I think for me, also, I’ve been sh**ty the last couple of years, so my kids don’t really understand how good I am. And I want them to see how good I am so that they’ll have an understanding. So that is motivation for me.”
Green is having a strong season, averaging 8.2 points, 8 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game while also making strong contributions on the defensive end. He’s even gotten some early buzz as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
Draymond wants to show his kids how good he is at basketball 💙
Green himself said he wants to win the award, in part to show his kids the kind of player he can be when at his peak.
“So that is motivating to me, to play well in front of them so that they have an understanding of what I do. Most importantly, I want to win, I want to be Defensive Player of the Year again, and I want to be an All-Star again,” he said, via NBC Sports. “That is motivating for me because a lot of people had counted me out. Same mistake people made before when I first came into the league.”
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