Austin Rivers returns to Draymond Green, calls him ‘the luckiest basketball player I’ve ever seen’
As the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty continues to fade, veteran Draymond Green is making sure to go down swinging.
Gone are the days of distrusting powerful but turbulent teams.
The growing chaos surrounding the team now points to its imminent demise: talk of coach Steve Kerr’s exit, the need to overhaul the roster, and, most loudly of all (as expected), Draymond Green’s role in the sinking ship, which has become meaty podcast fodder for the Warriors talking about the future.
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Recently in his pod, Green took aim at Kerr, who coached that dynasty to four NBA championships. Green suggested that Kerr did not direct his work, but limited it.
Austin Rivers and Draymond Green are locked in a name war, although the edge may be the veteran Warriors over the often-rated Rivers. (Getty Images)
“As far as what Steve has done for me in basketball, part of me thinks he’s held me back from my career and what I could be. When I think about who I was offensively as a player and who I’ve become, I think part of that is because of him. He hasn’t drawn a game for me since 2017.”
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Outside, former NBA lottery pick Austin Rivers wasn’t buying it, and a back-and-forth was born.
From The Dan Patrick ShowRivers responded to the controversy, establishing Green not as the victim of the program but its chief heir.
Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors faces a technical foul in the second half of Game Two of the Western Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Target Center in Minneapolis on May 8, 2025. (David Berding/Getty Images)
“He was the luckiest basketball player I think I’ve ever seen. He was drafted into a franchise with a Hall of Fame front office, a Hall of Fame coach, the greatest shooter of all time and maybe a top five player of all time. Not to mention one of the deadliest scorers of all time and arguably a top 10 player of all time, Kevin Durant pretty much fired your career. Steve talked too much. You?”
Draymond has been fired for moving from basketball to personal space.
Green poked fun at the contract Rivers signed with the Clippers in 2016 when his father, Doc Rivers, ran the team, and called out President Trump’s name a bit.
“It’s nothing to talk about. Rivers got the biggest bailout in American history before President Trump bailed out the airlines. I wish I could give my son $200 million if I was the coach. You were out of your first team in two years while I was here.”
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Responding to Green on Tuesday, River did not back down.
He highlighted Green’s faltering, including the 2022 punch of teammate Jordan Poole, and questioned his maturity.
Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors and Austin Rivers of the Houston Rockets fight for the ball in the third quarter during Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on May 8, 2019. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images)
“You don’t have the strength to do your best and you understand that I’ve been praising you so much. It’s you, and I shouldn’t be surprised.
“You always do things in a reckless and emotionally immature way, and your anger always gets you in hot water, so here I have to talk about your video undermining my career. Of course, the NBA does not offer coaching jobs to guys who may or may not breastfeed one of the players or staff.”
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Amidst all the haymakers, both sides took hits, though Green still had the hardware to swing over the rivers. Draymond may not have surpassed teammates Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, or Kevin Durant in his prime, when it comes to being a major championship piece, but his role as the glue of the roster is undeniable. Rivers have never played as important a role as Green’s.
Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors and Austin Rivers of the Denver Nuggets dispute a call with referee Courtney Kirkland during the second quarter in Denver, Colo., on April 21, 2022. (Aaron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post/Getty Images)
Still, Rivers points to a fact many have argued for years: Kerr didn’t limit Green.
Now, as Golden State faces an uncertain season, Green’s comments raise big questions.
Are we finally at the end of the Warriors run? And how much of it was Draymond’s fault?
Send us your comments: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow on X: @alejandroaveela
