The tension between Kenyon Martin and Draymond Green hit a new level after Green said on his podcast that Martin “underachieved” in his NBA career. Both players grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, and both carved out reputations built on toughness, but this latest exchange turned their shared history into a public showdown. Martin did not hold back. He jumped on Instagram Live and delivered a long, confident rebuttal that immediately stirred fans.

He reminded viewers exactly who he was in his prime. “Man, Draymond Green called me an underachiever? I came into the league as the number one pick in 2000 and took the Nets to the Finals two years in a row.” From there he pivoted to the injuries he battled, including microfracture surgeries, then rattled off a wide list of forwards he believed were better basketball players than Draymond.

That list stretched well beyond a handful of names. Martin said, “I can name 200 people better at basketball than you,” before narrowing it to power forwards and launching into a long roll call, per FadeAwayWorld. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Dirk Nowitzki, Charles Barkley, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, and Dennis Rodman were among the headliners. The list continued with Karl Malone, Chris Webber, Amar’e Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Rasheed Wallace, Pau Gasol, Zach Randolph, and dozens more. Martin framed the exercise as pure basketball skill, not résumé comparison.

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Martin’s frustration was building

This flare up did not come out of nowhere. Days before the podcast comments, Martin had already said Draymond acted like a fake tough guy who “picks his spots.” That critique lingered, and once Green responded publicly, the situation escalated quickly.

Draymond answers with his own resume

Green chose not to bury the message. He said, “You were the No. 1 pick and made one All-Star team. Most would say that’s underachieving.” Then he highlighted his career. Four championships. Defensive Player of the Year. Nine All-Defensive selections. A journey from the 35th pick to a central piece of a dynasty. If Martin wanted to measure careers head to head, Draymond felt ready to bring numbers to the table.