There’s no denying that Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors is one of the greatest defenders of his generation. Green has been the heart of the Warriors’ defense for a decade, including four NBA championship runs.
In an appearance on Kai Cenat’s Live Stream on Tuesday, Green was asked to name the toughest player he has ever guarded. He revealed that he had “no chance” against his former Warriors teammate, Kevin Durant, especially the version that played for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“The hardest player I had to guard in my career is KD,” Green said. “KD in OKC. After that, I figured him out. Slim can’t score on me no more. Nah, he’s going to score on everybody, but I got better and learned more about his game. But in OKC, and just coming into the league and figuring (things out), oh my God. No chance.”
Durant was one of the best scorers in the NBA during his time with the Thunder. He won four scoring titles in his career, all in Oklahoma City in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014. Carmelo Anthony barely got the scoring title in 2013, preventing KD from winning five straight.
Draymond Green and Kevin Durant Won 2 NBA Championships Together
After years of battling in the regular season and playoffs, Kevin Durant shockingly joined the Golden State Warriors in 2016. Durant spent three seasons in Golden State, winning two NBA championships. They also went to the NBA Finals in 2019, but they lost to the Toronto Raptors in six games.
Durant and Green seemed to have a good relationship as teammates until an incident in November 2018 in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. The clip of Green shouting at Durant on the bench went viral, which put a strain on the team and eventually led to KD’s departure at the end of that season.
The former teammates hashed things out three years later in a one-on-one interview in an episode of Bleacher Report’s series called Chips. They put the blame on Warriors coach Steve Kerr and then-general manager Bob Myers for mishandling the situation.
Draymond Green Further Mended Fences with Kevin Durant after Jusuf Nurkic Incident
During the 2023-24 NBA season, Draymond Green had the most volatile year of his career, which was highlighted by multiple suspensions. Green’s relationship with Kevin Durant took a hit after the former Defensive Player of the Year punched Durant’s teammate Jusuf Nurkic during a game between the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns in December 2023.
Durant calling for Green to get help was a wake-up call for the Warriors star, who shared how he mended fences with KD during the 2024 offseason.
“I saw KD in the offseason, and we chopped it up, and man to man, face to face, we chopped it up,” Green said in an episode of The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis in December 2024. “Told him how I felt, he told me how he felt. … Many things that most people say don’t bother me, they don’t affect me. I really don’t give a damn, but KD says something, I care. So I cared a lot when he said that about me last year.”
Fast forward to the upcoming season, Green and Durant will likely have more heated battles on the court. Green has a history with the young Houston Rockets team that acquired the former MVP this summer.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Draymond Green Had ‘No Chance’ Against Toughest Player He Ever Guarded appeared first on Heavy Sports.