After carving out a legendary career as a member of the Warriors, Draymond Green believes he was destined to come to the Bay Area.
Speaking to Marshawn Lynch, Gavin Newsom and Doug Hendrickson on the “Politickin’” podcast, Green said he never imagined getting drafted by a team from California but explained how quickly things changed for him.
“If you would have asked me when I was going through the draft process, like I’m a kid from Saginaw, Michigan, I went to Michigan State, first 22 years of my life I never left the state of Michigan,” Green said. “If you would have asked me where I was going to get drafted, the absolute last place I would have told you would have been anywhere in the state of California. The state of California to me just seemed so far away from home, so far out of reach.”
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Green went on to explain how the Warriors drafting him turned out to be a pivotal moment in his life, both personally and professionally.
“Now, not only do I get drafted to the state of California, you start talking about destiny and how your life shapes up, but I get drafted to the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, California,” Green explained. “I get to Oakland; I feel like I’m [back in] Saginaw. I get there and I’m like ‘Man, I feel like I’m at home, I’m comfortable,’ like I can be me to my core. Oakland understood me, you know what I’m saying?
“When I look at how it all played out, for me to be drafted to that place, I couldn’t have asked for a better situation. It set me up for success.”
Golden State selected Green with the No. 35 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, pairing him with Klay Thompson and Steph Curry. The trio formed the core of four NBA championship teams, with the franchise transforming from perennial also-rans into one of the iconic dynasties in the history of pro sports.
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While Thompson and the Warriors recently parted ways, Green and Curry remain with Golden State as the franchise looks towards a future based around budding stars Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski.