Draymond Green has hinted on numerous occasions about when he will retire from the NBA. The 32-year-old has made a nice career for himself as a former second-round pick who is now in his 11th season.
Recently, the Golden State Warriors star forward went on Stephen A. Smith‘s podcast “Know Mercy with Stephen A. Smith” and discussed his future.
“I don’t want to play basketball until I’m 40. I really only want to play basketball for another four years after this. I’ve always said my magic number is 15, once I get to 15, that’s it. I’m cool, go and enjoy my life, go on to my next thing, leave it to the youngins to take it from there,” said Green.
Draymond has a retirement date in mind 🗓 pic.twitter.com/j6a5EgUQaJ
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 19, 2023
Anytime a player of Green’s caliber discusses retirement, the question of whether he is a Hall of Famer or not always come into people’s minds. The second thing that comes to people’s minds is the life after sports for these athletes. Green has already answered one of those questions, but the verdict is still to be determined for the other question.
Draymond Green’s Career Numbers
Green was drafted by the Warriors with 35th pick in the second round of the 2012 NBA draft. The 6-foot-6 undersized power forward had a lot of questions to answer about how his game would translate from college basketball to the pros. He answered all of those questions as the heart and soul behind the Warriors’ four championships in eight seasons that helped them to build a modern-day dynasty.
Green has averaged 7.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game for his career. His numbers aren’t impressive to the casual basketball fan, but he is a four-time All-Star, six-time All-Defensive selection, two-time All-NBA selection, four-time champion, and won Defensive Player of the Year.
His impact goes far beyond statistics with how hard he plays on both ends of the floor, his leadership, and his high basketball IQ. It also gives Green an extra boost that the Warriors players, coaches, and front office have acknowledged the importance of Green to their dynasty.
“We’re all built in terms of trust and chemistry, and to have a guy like [Green] who is very vocal, high IQ, has a certain approach to leadership, all that stuff matters,” said Steph Curry to an ESPN reporter last season. “Understand that, especially without Draymond for this extended stretch, our offense is a little different. … There is a lot more responsibility in terms of playmaking, being on the ball and handling that attention. You lean on the other pieces to keep the boat afloat, but we’re not going to be anything great with how we’re built. He [Green] is important.”
Life Off the Court For Draymond
Green is on his third NBA contract and is scheduled to make $25 million this season with his deal he signed in 2019 for four years, $100 million. At the end of this contract, Green will have made $184.3 million on the court so far in his NBA career.
He also signed a first-of-its-kind type deal with TNT’s “Inside the NBA” to appear as a constant contributor. The details of the deal haven’t been released, but Green has always been a big talker, and his personality fits right in with the crew for him to transition as a regular host once his playing days are done.
Welcome to the Turner Sports family, @money23green!
The 3x NBA champ will contribute to Inside the NBA as an active player in a first-of-its-kind deal 👏🏿 pic.twitter.com/wXdIkq1ao2
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 27, 2022
Green has created his own podcast, “The Draymond Green Show,” that picked up huge publicity after he would go live immediately following games. He appears on Lebron James’ show “The Shop” regularly as well.
Recently, Green joined an investment group with James and Kevin Love for a professional pickleball league. It certainly seems he has set up a career in television, coupled with his investments, to be more than prepared for life after basketball.
What Is Draymond’s NBA Legacy?
Green case for the Basketball Hall of Fame is still to be determined, but it’s doubtful that the Warriors will follow Michigan State and hang his jersey in the rafters.
In 2019, Michigan State held a ceremony to honor Green by hanging his number 23 Spartans jersey in the rafters at the Breslin Center.
"As a kid from Saginaw, Michigan, my goal and dream was to play at Michigan State … and I lived that dream."
Draymond Green got choked up during his Michigan State jersey retirement ceremony. pic.twitter.com/fbBQyR6l2l
— ESPN (@espn) December 4, 2019
He has certainly carved out his own lane in the NBA that has created opportunities for others. Teams are now searching for utility players like Green that are unselfish, can handle the ball from the forward position, pass from the forward position, rebound, defend, and provide some scoring. If you don’t think so, take a look around the league at players like Scottie Barnes, whose game models Green’s.
