Golden State Warriors: Draymond Green jumps to LBJ’s defense

Draymond Green and LeBron James have spent years battling each other, but the Golden State Warriors’ star still respects the King as an all-time great.

The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers clashed in a historical four-straight NBA Finals last decade. The fiery nature of Draymond Green and LeBron James caused more than a few altercations between the two – but that hasn’t stopped Green from jumping to James’ defense when unfair criticism is made.

Future NBA Hall of Famer and current analyst, Paul Pierce, has had some big words for James over the last few years. This is no surprise, as Pierce and James have battled on the court plenty of times throughout their careers. However, most of the time, Pierce sounds like an angry old man complaining about James.

Recently, Pierce said this current generation is afraid of James. He then used this opportunity to boost himself up, stating his era of players would never be intimidated by LeBron. This was enough to make Green speak up:

Green is certainly a player who is qualified to speak on this subject. He has gone to war with James at the highest level and experienced both sides of the spectrum – winning and losing to the King. I don’t think anyone could say Green was afraid of James at any point in their rivalry.

But, the same can be said for Pierce too. Sure, James absolutely dominated The Truth once he joined Miami, but Pierce held his own during their earlier meetings. Overall, the idea that any of these high-tier players are ‘scared’ of each other is pretty foolish.

As I’m sure you remember, this isn’t the first time Green has barked at Pierce. During Pierce’s final season in LA, Green mocked Pierce for not being ‘loved enough’ for a farewell tour. As Green continues to make moves into the media, we can expect (and hope) to hear more comments from him about the game.