Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has had his fair share of rivalries with opposing players in the NBA. Recently, he had the opportunity to examine a player rivalry from the outside with the tension between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown rising.
While he has no alignment with either player, Green took the side of Brown, who notoriously called Antetokounmpo a “child” for faking a handshake in a game. Green said he did not mean to disrespect Antetokounmpo but sees his persona as a “big a** kid.”
“Giannis a big a** kid for real, man,” Green said on ‘The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis.’ “He seems like a big a** kid. Now, Jaylen was pissed. So he called him a child [out of anger]. I say that in a way of like, [LeBron James] for instance, is a big a** kid. Giannis always gives you the super serious [act] but to me, it seems like he’s a big a** kid.”
The viral fake handshake came after Antetokounmpo was charged with an offensive foul for catching Brown with an elbow on an attempted drop-step. Brown’s ensuing “child” comment came after the game when reporters asked him for his thoughts on the interaction.
Antetokounmpo did not take much offense to the comment, responding by saying he plays with “a lot of joy” and attributes his personality traits to having three kids and six nieces.
Jaylen Brown’s history with Draymond Green and the Warriors
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While Green agreed with Brown on Antetokounmpo’s unique personality in this instance, he has not always seen eye-to-eye with the Celtics star. The two players previously had their own rivalry that started in the 2022 NBA Finals, one that Golden State won 4-2.
In Game 2 of the series, Brown was fouled by Green on a three-point attempt before the two players crashed to the deck. Brown took offense to Green having his legs on his head, causing the two to engage in a shoving match. Brown accused Green of trying to “pull his pants down” while getting up, an accusation that Green said let him know he had his “heart.”
The two would not get into another feud for the rest of the series but the tension has never left, leading to a rivalry between the Warriors and Celtics that is still present in 2024. The two teams will play each other again on Jan. 20, 2025, in San Francisco for a nationally televised affair.
Jaren Kawada is a NFL, College Football and Betting Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. Kawada was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, after graduating from Butler University with a B.A. in sports media.