Draymond Green Addresses Physicality of 1980s, ’90s NBA

Draymond Green has used his podcast, his part-time job at Turner Sports and media availabilities to let the world know what’s on his mind on a regular basis. On Tuesday when talking to reporters, the Warriors enforcer had a hilarious take on the often lauded golden age of basketball back in the 1980s and ’90s. 

Like most players in today’s age, Green is probably sick of hearing from former players how their era was so physical—and by that metric better than the current state of basketball. The three-time champion addressed that notion and called out those same players because more often than not, they’re bragging about getting beat up. 

“Some of the guys that be talking weren’t the guys that was punching people,” Green said. “There were a few guys back then that would lay you out, that would knock you out, that would foul you and get thrown out the game: Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn. But everyone running around acting like they were that, y’all were getting bullied.”

Green repeatedly stated that it “baffled” him that former players acted as if they were enforcers on the court when in reality they were the victims of more imposing players like Laimbeer and Mahorn, two former players for the extremely physical Bad Boys Pistons teams of the 80s. 

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Not done yet, Green added that violence on the court was so common because “their fine was also $2” and if he knocked someone out on the court he’d be slapped with a $1 million fine. He also called out the older players because if they played in the current NBA, they’d struggle. 

“If you played in this day and age you’d had to be way more skilled than you were,” he said. 

Green and the Warriors are set to take on the Celtics in Game 3 of the Finals scheduled for Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC. 

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