To say that Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green had a tumultuous 2023-24 campaign would be an understatement. The former Defensive Player of the Year had to serve a lengthy suspension after multiple on-court altercations. Throughout that time, Green also had to endure a ton of criticism from both the fans and the media.
According to Green himself, however, what hurt him the most was how the people he thought would come to his defense were actually the ones who attacked him. This includes ESPN broadcaster Stephen A. Smith.
Golden State Warriors News: Draymond Green Gets Brutally Honest on Stephen A. Smith’s Criticism
Green recently appeared on Shaquille O’Neal’s podcast, and at one point, the Warriors veteran could not help but open up about the betrayal he felt throughout the season.
Stephen A, in particular, was one of the people who triggered Green with the way he spoke about the Dubs star. According to Draymond, the fact that he had a personal relationship with the ESPN anchor led him to believe that Smith would, at the very least, speak positively about his character. Green was wrong.
“Stephen A. Smith really pissed me off,” Green said. “… To sit back and see those that claim to know and appreciate me as a human being, just blow with the narrative that was easy to do? I lost a lot of respect for a lot of people.”
Draymond Green on why Stephen A. Smith pissed him off 🗣️
Watch our full episode with Draymond here: https://t.co/kDtzpPfLze pic.twitter.com/bzj8OFAdQW
— The Big Podcast (@bigpodwithshaq) May 22, 2024
Love him or hate him, what cannot be denied is that Green, at the end of the day, is still a human being. He is still susceptible to the pain of being so openly criticized — especially when the slander comes from the people he respects. Or rather, used to respect.
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