It’s safe to say that Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green plays the game of basketball with a bit of an edge and an attitude. That edge and attitude has allowed him to carve out a niche on one of the most talented teams in the Association today.
So where did he learn to play basketball the way he does? Well his mother says he acquired his game from the way he was raised by her and his family.
Here is what Green’s mother had to say to MLive.com on the art of trash talking:
“I’ve learned tact,” Babers said. “I’m better at it now. People have to understand that I’m just having fun with it. I’m serious about some things, but not about everything. It’s Twitter. It’s not the NBA. It’s fun, just a bunch of us trash talking.
“There are some rules. We can have fun and talk trash, but once you become disrespectful, I delete you.”
Those were the same rules in the Babers household, rules that Green lived by and rules that extended beyond what he could or couldn’t say.
Green was also not allowed to have posters of basketball players in his room.
“We worship one God, and that’s not LeBron. No posters to worship. And no ‘Be Like Mike’ either. You’re Draymond Green. Be Draymond Green. That’s not arrogance. That’s just knowing who you are.”
Trash talk was different. It wasn’t just accepted. It was encouraged.
“When you trash talk, it means you can handle yourself,” Babers said. “If you don’t trash talk, you might as well go and hide. Dray has always trash-talked. I gave them freedom of speech. He and his aunt (Annette Babers) are great trash talkers. They would go back and forth, talking trash.
“People have to understand that trash talking isn’t disrespectful. You can say ‘I’m going to do this’ or ‘You can’t do that’ all day, and that’s fun. But you say something to me like, ‘Shut up’ and that’s it. You’re done.”
“Trash talking has a certain purpose. You’re trying to get the other guy frustrated so he’ll make a mistake. Day Day, at first, wasn’t very good at it, but he learned to do it very well.”
One thing for sure and two for certain ..he is my baby and he AINT NEVA SCARED!
— Mary B (@BabersGreen) May 26, 2015
I think it is very clear where Green acquired his attitude and edge, and why he is so effective at frustrating opposing players and getting them off their game.
Guys like Green are often hated by most, but you have to respect them because of how they have the ability to get under the skin of your best players.