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GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 30, 2019

Draymond Green

Oakland, California

Q. Given the talent and experience that you and Steph have as a duo, what do you think you guys can do both on the court and behind the scenes to help with any transition process this season?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I mean, I think on the court it's just play our game, not get too caught up in trying to make people fit in or just play our game, and I think everybody else will feed off of that. Obviously adding a piece like D'Angelo to the fold, some things will have to change in order to better suit him, and we're all understanding of that. And you know, that'll happen.

And as far as off the court, I think we've got to do a little bit more. Last couple years, stuff just kind of seamlessly happened because there was so much familiarity. It's not quite that.

And I think we also have to do a good job in getting to know these younger guys. It's kind of a new day and age in the NBA, and we haven't quite had to experience that because we've had the experience. So just kind of getting to know the younger guys and kind of their way of life, how they go about things and kind of bringing that all together and trying to make it work.

Q. How does it feel for you being in this new building, and does it feel like a new chapter? Steve Kerr called the building a metaphor for this new era, and I'm wondering how you feel about that, a little bit about what you said, things had been so seamlessly happening, you knew what to expect. There's a lot of unknowns now, and is that energizing? Is this exciting for you?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I think there's definitely a lot of unknowns, but it is exciting. You know, stuff has kind of just been status quo for the last few years and just kind of knew what to expect going into it, and it's pretty much just been that. It's a new challenge now, which as a competitor is very exciting. We've been to the mountain top with the previous group, and we know how that feels. Now, can you do it again? Can we bring this team together and get back there? I think that's the most important thing, and I think that will be our focus moving forward.

Q. You guys obviously had future speculation, free agency speculation looming over a lot of you last season. How much of that played into your decision to extend this summer to just -- once you extended, pretty much your entire core is locked in for the next three to five years.
DRAYMOND GREEN: A little bit. I didn't quite myself want to come into this season dealing with all of that stuff. It kind of becomes a headache. It definitely played a little part in it, and just understanding what was best for myself and my family and for this organization. You know, I think I've said a million times now, I want to be here for my entire career. What makes that possible? What makes that more realistic? I think this did.

And so just really wanted to put it behind me. We got Steph, Klay coming back, myself, original guys who kind of started this whole thing, adding D'Angelo for four years. That was just very exciting and something that I just wanted to get behind me and move forward.

Q. You're obviously a guy who's always kind of enjoyed being the underdog. Now that a lot of people are kind of writing this team off before the season has started, do you almost relish that? Do you kind of like being back in that position in some ways?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I think it's definitely fun. It's exciting. I don't really pay as much attention as I used to because I realize how many people don't know what the hell they're talking about when you start talking about basketball. You know, basketball is kind of a sport that everybody thinks they know. You hardly ever just see people like randomly thinking they know football because there's too much going on. You don't know what the hell is going on out there for real. Everybody thinks they know basketball.

And so just kind of figured that out. Like -- listen to somebody, most of the time you listen to somebody who doesn't have a clue, how in the hell am I going to let that motivate me at this point? I really don't. I've got my own motivation and things that's going to push me. To listen to some people who don't really know what they're talking about at this point, it really don't matter anymore.

Q. You're obviously so identified with this team's defense. Lost a lot of good defensive players in the off-season. Where do you think this team is defensively, and everyone is saying, Draymond might have to guard five people. Do you sense your responsibility growing in that regard?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I definitely won't have to guard five people, but I think I will definitely have to step it up. We don't have as good a defenders as we had. I don't think that's any surprise. But at the same time, we've just got to find our identity. You know, before our identity was switching. That may not be our identity anymore. We've got to figure out and kind of toy with different things throughout the preseason and figure out what works the best for this group. But I don't think it'll just be your typical status quo, oh, somebody is coming off a screen-and-roll, switch, or how we've been playing in the past because it's not the same team, it's not the same personnel. We've just got to figure out what it is. Once we figure that out, we'll be fine.

Q. A lot has been made about the leadership roles that the team needs and who's going to fill them and how you're going to fill them. How do you manage that so you don't become overwhelmed by it? And the second part of that is how does the Spartan get through to the Wolverines on this roster?
DRAYMOND GREEN: Well, just like any other year, I don't think there's just going to be one person who leads this team. I lead in the way that I lead, Steph leads in the way that he leads. It may not seem like it, but Klay leads in the way that he leads. You know, that's important. You know, for us to continue doing that. I have no doubt in my mind that we will, and we'll be just fine. How many Wolverines on the roster? Two? I don't really think much about Michigan Wolverines, honestly. I'll manage those players as Warriors. But being a Wolverine holds no weight here. That's nothing.

Q. Steph was in here a minute ago and said he'd rather not be called the old guy but elder statesman is very respectful. Is it pretty amazing that he is the oldest guy on this team, and what do you have to say -- what will you call him? And also, do you plan -- would you like to play in the Tokyo Olympics?
DRAYMOND GREEN: He's not old. Like he's 31. He's getting old (laughter), but I think we're all getting old. But he's definitely not old.

But it's really funny to me just to see Steph as the oldest guy on this team, then I think it's Klay and myself after that. Not too long ago we were the youngest guys on the team. So it's a pretty interesting turn of events. But it's fun, it's exciting. I think when you're putting a team together, that's kind of how you envision it going. You want to start with some younger guys and you want to grow with them, and as they get older and you kind of start to bring in a new wave and start to prep guys to get ready to take the reins, that's kind of how this has gone. I think that's a great sign. It means that there's been a pretty good amount of success if you're still trekking along with those guys. I think that's great.

And as far as the Olympics, I definitely want to play in the Olympics next year. I'm actually kind of planning my wedding around it, so hopefully I make the team and I'm not cutting off so many dates to not make the team. We'll see. But I do want to play.

Q. Draymond, you've been accustomed to having Andre and Dot around here because they're just part of the fabric. They're gone now, and I am wondering how is the vibe different? Do you already feel better or is it going to take time to adjust to them not being around?
DRAYMOND GREEN: Well, I haven't really been here, so I haven't really got the vibe yet. But what I can tell you is from what I have seen is it's definitely different. You know, Andre and Shaun, super old, but they were just kind of that stabilizing force for us, those guys we can go to about anything. They've been through some of everything, whether it was basketball, whether it was injuries, whether it was family, investments. Like they were just -- Steph, Klay and I were running rampant and they'd just come in and calm us down. Whatever it was, we could turn to them for anything. We don't really have that anymore. We'll have to be those guys. So it'll definitely be different. We've got a lot of new blood. With new blood in this day and age in the NBA comes a lot of different things. The swagger of these younger guys are different. They've lived their lives completely different than what we've grown accustomed to.

But I think that's fine. You know, you get a chance to know these young guys, mentor them, kind of show them the way. I'm excited about it. But it's definitely different. It's crazy, I went to the Janet Jackson concert like a week ago, whenever it was, and I hit a few of the young guys up, and they were kind of like, Janet Jackson? Yeah, you've got that one. It's just like, who the hell is Janet Jackson. Like Janet Jackson is a legend, and that just kind of showed me like I'm getting old. Like none of them wanted to go with me. Like Omari, yo, I'm going to Janet Jackson concert, I've got a suite, and like, um, nah. Eric, nah, sorry. That kind of explains it for you right there. They didn't want to see Janet Jackson. I was super excited to see Janet Jackson. I'm sure if it was Gunna, they would have all run here. If it was Gunna I would have run here, too, but I also ran here for Janet Jackson, so I guess it's a little different.

Q. What's your reaction to the California governor signing a bill that would compensate college athletes for their likenesses being used?
DRAYMOND GREEN: Kudos to him. You know, Governor Newsom, I think he's been doing some great things since he's taken over in office, and this is just another one of those great things that he's done. I think it'll definitely help move the needle. When you start talking the state of California, how much weight this state holds, for this state to be the first to do that is very special. As a former college athlete, that's exciting. You spend so much time in college broke, with no money, and yet everybody else was living very well. The university is making a ton of money off your likeness. I mean, it is the most -- like I think he used the word bankrupt model. And it is. It's like, it doesn't -- it does not make any sense. I can make all the money off your likeness, and the moment you decide to make some money off your likeness, you can't play here anymore. You're ineligible. You're suspended. It's backwards.

Someone needs to force this dictatorship to change because that's exactly what it is. It's no different than any country that's ran by dictators. The NCAA is a dictatorship. I think it's great for him. I think it was amazing to see that done on Uninterrupted, and the platform -- that's exactly what that platform was built about. I've actually been a part of it since the very beginning, and that's what it was built about, about giving everyone a platform to change the way the athlete is viewed, to change the way people think about athletes and think about certain legends and different things governing athletes, that's exactly what Uninterrupted was built on. For that to take place on Uninterrupted, I think it just all came back full circle. No college athletes have a voice, really. When you see a commercial promoting a college game, it usually shows the coaches, and they don't score a point. But unless it's a Zion Williamson, and then it'll highlight Zion -- unless it's someone like that, they show the coaches. But they can't go out there and get you a bucket.

So college athletes have no voice. Like I said, that's what uninterrupted was built about is giving everyone a voice and giving everyone a platform and for that to take place on there I think it was all full circle, and it's a great day for everyone because I don't know about y'all, but I'm tired of seeing people get ripped off, and I'm tired of seeing these college athletes being ripped off.

You know, the president of the NCAA just kind of sit back and -- he says a little bit but don't say much at all because he don't have to. Well, now you've got to speak up, and I'd love to see what his response is going to be to this, outside of oh, well, you're going to be ineligible. Get out of here with that. Ain't nobody worried about that no more, man.

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