The Golden State Warriors have closed out their series against the Boston Celtics to win their seventh championship. And while Stephen Curry is in the spotlight for winning his first Finals MVP, Draymond Green is more than happy to win his fourth ring with the Dubs. The thing is, his motivation to prove the doubters wrong isn't one most fans expect. As stated by the fiery forward himself, the reason is one very close to his heart.
"It's absolutely amazing to share this with my kids… They weren't old enough to remember me playing at a high level."
Draymond Green says a huge part of his motivation was proving to his kids he can play at a high level. pic.twitter.com/DnmTNoDW0g
— NBA (@NBA) June 17, 2022
In a post-game press conference, Green would go on to say that the primary motivation he had is to show his kids that he can still play at a high level and help the Warriors win the championship this year. He would go on to say that his children, Kyla and Draymond Jr., were too young to remember him winning the first three rings before. What they saw instead was their father playing for a Golden State squad that languished at the bottom during the last two years, thanks to injuries to the team's key players.
Article Continues Below“A huge part of my motivation coming into this year was to show them that, y'know, I can be at this level and to give them an understanding, to ultimately close it out,” Green said.
The Warriors' starting forward is no stranger to playing at a high level. During the postseason, Green would go on to help the Warriors by putting up stellar defense on the court while helping create quality plays for his teammates. In the 22 playoff games he played, Green averaged 8 points on 47% shooting from the field while adding 7.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1 block in 32 minutes on the court. With this kind of all-around game, the Warriors were able to close out opposing squads, such as the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, and Boston Celtics.
With the Warriors getting the job done, Draymond Green can finally tell his kids that their daddy is a winner. In the process, that same motivation help the defensive ace close out his harshest critics as well.