Draymond Green is a passionate player. He will speak his mind off the court and play with fire on it, regardless of the scoreboard, the stage, the rival, or whether you like it or not. Thatās whatās made him the heart and soul of the Golden State Warriors.
Needless to say, Greenās drive has also gotten him into trouble more often than not. Flagrant fouls, technical fouls, and a harsh reputation among some non-Warriors fans. He lives by it, he dies by it.
Thatās why ESPNās āMad Dogā Russo went on to say that America was already tired of him. He called him out for flipping Grizzliesā fans off on his way to the locker room and told him to just āShut up and playā. Needless to say, that didnāt sit well with Green.
Draymond Green Rips āMad Dogā Russo Over Racist Comments
āHe goes on TV and says America is tired of Draymond Green. Not sure what gives him the right to speak for America, what heās done in his life for her,ā Green said on his podcast.āIām not sure who heās become in sports or in media to say how America feels and what gives him that right. Weāre not shocked that he would think that he has the right to speak for America.ā
The former Defensive Player of the Year then explained how Russoās comments may have had a racist connotation. He said that he, nor any other black athlete will tolerate such comments ever again:
āHe then proceeds to say āShut up and playā. Iām not one to really pull the race car very often because we all know the role that race plays in the world that we live in. That definitely had a very racist connotation,ā Green added. āEven beyond the racist undertone, we donāt need to go any further than āwho are you?ā. Who are you to say, what have you done in your life to say Americaās tired of him, shut up and play? Those āshut up and dribble daysā are long gone. We donāt listen to that anymore, it has no place here nor will it be tolerated.ā
Green Says ESPN Offered Him A Spot On First Take
Draymond saved the best for last. After calling Russo out, he went on to reveal that ESPN actually offered him a spot on First Take as Stephen A. Smithās co-star, so he should be thanking him for turning that down:
āI also proceeded to say itās time for you to sit on your couch and thank the good lord I didnāt want his job, I meant that from the bottom of my heart,ā Green said. āBefore I signed with Turner, I was actually offered a spot on First Take. Thereās your backstory. When I speak, I speak from the heart, when I speak, know itās real and thoughtful. More importantly, itās truthful.ā
At the end of the day, Green has one of the most popular podcasts among basketball fans, so it would be interesting to know where did Russo get the notion that people were tired of him. As for the āShut up and playā, those days are way beyond us.





