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Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green loves basketball so much that he will criticize it perpetually. In February, Green referred to the NBA All-Star game as “boring,” which drew a sharp critique from NBA legend Oscar Robertson.
Now, the outspoken Green is offering a sharp analysis of the game from a socioeconomic perspective. On his podcast, The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis, Green responded to a recent comment by LeBron James about how young basketball players are too reliant on trainers than on their skills.
To which, Draymond Green agreed and highlighted how he believes the game is now Robin Hood in reverse.
“Basketball used to be a poor man's game… now it's a rich kid game… There's no imagination. Everybody's doing the same thing. And I think a lot of that is due sometimes to having trainers.”
"Basketball used to be a poor man's game… now it's a rich kid game… There's no imagination. Everybody's doing the same thing. And I think a lot of that is due sometimes to having trainers."@Money23Green reflects on what LeBron said about youth trainers vs. real hoopers — and… pic.twitter.com/juVD2mVma6
— The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis (@DraymondShow) June 10, 2025
Green is fresh off his 12th season in the NBA and with the Warriors. He finished this past season averaging 9.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game.
The Warriors lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Semifinals. In addition, Green was also a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year.
Recently, Green disagreed with James's playoff idea, which would give teams a month off. However, they agree when it comes to the perception that the game is being cheated by pampering.
The best basketball stories derive from the bottom-up
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Some of the most endearing basketball fables are set against the backdrop of hardship. Players use the game as their ticket out from dire circumstances with minimal resources.
Draymond Green was one of those kids growing up in an impoverished background in Saginaw, Michigan. His single mother, Mary Babers-Green, raised him. At a young age, Green had to work at car washes and diners to provide support to the family.
For him, basketball was his outlet for a better future.
As for James, his story is of mythic proportions. He was raised by his mother, Gloria James, in a destitute part of Akron, Ohio. James was a high school basketball phenom at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.
Ultimately, he declared for the NBA in 2003.
Then there's Larry Bird, who grew up in a small rural town of French Lick, Indiana. His parents worked virtually around the clock. Sadly, his father, Joe, took his life in 1975 after falling behind on child support payments.
Basketball was his sanctuary to get him from point A to point B. Each of these players, along with many others, found their way in life through basketball and without all the accouterments that are readily available today.
