Draymond Green has been one of the most polarizing NBA players in recent memory — a strong, yet undersized power forward with a penchant for defense and proving his critics wrong.

Brash, blunt, but ultimately a straight shooter, the Golden State Warriors forward knows most of his personality is rooted in his upbringing, especially from his mother — Mary Babers-Green.

“My mom. Growing up with her, she always taught us to say whatever,” Green told ESPN's Chris Haynes in a sit-down interview. “Like, ‘You think something, say it. Don't bite your tongue for people. I think there's a fine line with that, but at the same time I'm a firm believer in speaking your mind. Part of it is definitely the way I was raised, but part of it is, s***, I grew up in Saginaw, Michigan. No matter what, s***, if you didn't speak up, you were going to get ran over.”

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His interactions with the media are a lot more cognizant of a person-to-person interaction rather than a part of his job he just has to get through, making him a reporter's dream in a sense.

“It's genuine,” Green stated. “I think when you look around this league, so much is scripted. And not scripted in a sense that the league is scripted, but when guys talk, it's like, ‘Say this. Yeah, come out and say that.' Like, nah, I'm not doing that. I'm going to say what's on my mind. I'm going to say what's on my heart. It's just genuine speaking. I think a lot of stuff around this league, you're coached up to say this or somebody told you to say that.”

“We've got great P.R. people and I think they do an amazing job. They've never told me anything wrong; nonetheless, I like having my own voice. I know anytime I say something when I'm going to face heat, but I'm willing to face that heat. It's not like I'm going to run from it. I don't run from anything.”

Despite his loud persona and unfiltered opinions, the Michigan State standout has been holding back more than he lets on, surprisingly.

“Nah, trust me. Trust me. There's a lot that I hold back,” Green reiterated with a big grin. “Most of the time, it's just for the betterment of my team. I think in certain situations, especially when you're in a team sport, sometimes you have to take into consideration what others can handle. It's not necessarily what you can handle. And I know some of the stuff I would say, the things that it would bring and it would probably be a distraction, so I stay away from it. I definitely hold back quite a bit.”