Draymond Green Takes Hilarious Shot at LeBron James After Lakers' Loss to Warriors

Feb 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) moves the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Following a 119-109 opening night victory against the Los Angeles Lakers (which wasn't quite as close as that final score suggests for much of the night), Golden State Warriors star forward Draymond Green took a funny swipe at his longtime rival and friend LeBron James.

James, 40, has been the league's oldest active player for three seasons now. The four-time MVP is dealing with sciatica on his right side, and is expected, at the earliest, to make his 2025-26 season debut around mid-November.

More news: Lakers’ LeBron James Set to Make Unfortunate Personal History With Injury Setback

Without him, Los Angeles leaned heavily on the team's other two top players, guard Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Doncic scored a whopping 43 points and dished out 12 dimes, while Reaves chipped in 26 points.

But it wasn't enough against a balanced Warriors attack, led by six-time All-Star forward Jimmy Butler's 31 points on 7-of-14 field goal shooting and 16-of-16 free throw shooting, plus 11-time All-NBA point guard Stephen Curry's 23 points on 6-of-14 shooting (3-of-9 from deep) and 8-of-8 free throw shooting.

Forward Jonathan Kuminga and sharpshooting wing Buddy Hield each chipped in 17 points apiece. Green, like Butler, paced Golden State with a +20 plus-minus, although the Michigan State product's stats were considerably quieter. Green finished with eight points on 3-of-6 shooting from the floor and 1-of-3 shooting from the foul line, nine assists, seven rebounds, two blocks and a swipe.

In a postgame presser captured by 95.7 The Game, Green managed to clown the absent James.

Draymond: “LeBron’s old ass was over there in his Phil Jackson chair.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/l98x7ALMK6

— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) October 22, 2025

“LeBron’s old ass was over there in his Phil Jackson chair,” Green joked, alluding to the specially modified chair the Hall of Fame former Lakers head coach used to occupy to accommodate a back injury.

Talk then turned a bit more serious. James missed a season opener for the first time in his career, an ominous harbinger that may speak to Father Time at last catching up with the ailing superstar.

More news: Lakers’ JJ Redick Provides Ominous Update on LeBron James Sciatica Injury

"No it's always different when he's not out there. I think, obviously we've had battles with Luka as well. Luka's an incredible player, but Bron is Bron," Green reflected. "And the battles that we've had over the years, you look forward to them. So it's very odd. He don't miss many games, let alone the season opener. So it's really odd not seeing him out there... you look over and see him in street clothes."

Green acknowledged that he's no stranger to sciatica injuries himself, and indicated that figuring out an exact recovery timeline could prove trying for James.

"I've dealt with what Bron has dealt with," Green said. "So I don't wish that on my worst enemy. You live that all day, every day... Wishing him a speedy recovery. The thing about it is, there's no real time table."

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