Draymond Green
Draymond Green is a four-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year and a Michigan State All-American.
Draymond Green is the forward who anchored the defense and drove the emotion of the Golden State Warriors dynasty. A second-round pick out of Michigan State in 2012, he won four NBA championships (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022) beside Stephen Curry and was named the 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year, per Basketball-Reference. As an undersized playmaking center in Golden State’s small lineups, he helped change what teams expect from a big man. He also became one of the most disciplined players of his era: the NBA has suspended him several times, and the league has cited his record of unsportsmanlike conduct when setting penalties. He has played his entire career with one franchise.
| Vitals | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 4, 1990, Saginaw, Michigan |
| Position | Forward (power forward; small-ball center) |
| Teams | Golden State Warriors (2012-present, as of Nov. 9, 2026) |
| Draft | 2012, 2nd round, 35th overall, Golden State |
| Contract status | One year, $27.7 million, through 2026-27 (signed July 30, 2026) |
| Number | 23 |
Michigan State
Four years under Tom Izzo. Green played four seasons at Michigan State, from 2008-09 through 2011-12. His scoring rose every year, from 3.3 points per game as a freshman to 16.2 as a senior, per Sports-Reference. The Spartans reached two Final Fours with him on the roster, including the 2009 national championship game, according to Wikipedia.
The senior breakout. He was the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year as a sophomore. In 2011-12 he averaged 16.2 points and 10.6 rebounds and won nearly every award open to him: consensus first-team All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year, Big Ten All-Defense, and Most Outstanding Player of the 2012 Big Ten tournament, which Michigan State won (Sports-Reference). NBA teams still saw a 6-foot-6 forward without a clear position, and he went 35th overall in the 2012 draft.
The Warriors dynasty and titles
The arrival. Green played a small role at first. He averaged 2.9 points in 13.4 minutes over 79 games as a rookie in 2012-13, per Basketball-Reference. His minutes rose to 21.9 per game in 2013-14. In 2014-15 he became a full-time starter and averaged 11.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
The Death Lineup. In 2014-15 and 2015-16, Golden State used its best players with Green at center even though he was undersized for the position. That group became known as the “Death Lineup” (Wikipedia). From the center spot Green handled the ball on short rolls, guarded every position and started the fast break. The Warriors beat Cleveland in the 2015 Finals for the franchise’s first title in 40 years (Basketball-Reference). In 2015-16 he averaged 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists, the best scoring season of his career, and made the All-NBA Second Team.
The Durant years. Cleveland beat Golden State in the 2016 Finals. After Kevin Durant joined, the Warriors beat the Cavaliers in both the 2017 and 2018 Finals, with Durant named Finals MVP each time, per Basketball-Reference. The run reached a fifth straight Finals in 2019, which Golden State lost to Toronto.
The fourth ring. After two seasons out of contention, Green, Curry and Klay Thompson won again in 2022, beating Boston in the Finals. Curry was Finals MVP (Basketball-Reference). That gave Green his fourth championship, all with the same core.
DPOY and defensive legacy
The 2016-17 award. Green won Defensive Player of the Year in 2016-17. He finished between Kawhi Leonard, the 2015-16 winner, and Rudy Gobert, who won in 2017-18 (Basketball-Reference). That season he also led the NBA in steals at 2.0 per game and averaged 1.4 blocks and 7.0 assists (Basketball-Reference).
Nine All-Defensive teams. He has made nine All-Defensive teams: First Team in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021 and 2025, and Second Team in 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023. He was also named an All-Star four times (2016, 2017, 2018, 2022) and made the All-NBA Third Team in 2017, per Basketball-Reference. His 2025 First Team selection came in his 13th season, eight years after his DPOY award.
In the franchise record book. Green ranks first in Warriors history in defensive rebounds, with 5,477. He is second to Curry in games and assists, second to Adonal Foyle in blocks, and third in steals and total rebounds, per the Basketball-Reference franchise leaderboard. His value as a playmaking big also shows in his assists: he averaged 8.9 per game in 2020-21.
Controversies
The 2016 Finals. Green’s first suspension came in the 2016 Finals. A flagrant foul on LeBron James pushed him over the league’s flagrant-point limit, and he sat out Game 5 with Golden State ahead 3-1. Cleveland won that game and the next two to take the series (Wikipedia; ABC7; Basketball-Reference).
Inside the locker room. After a game against the Clippers on Nov. 12, 2018, Green and Durant argued about Durant’s coming free agency. Green was suspended for the next game. On Oct. 5, 2022, at a team practice, he punched teammate Jordan Poole. Video of the punch leaked two days later, and the Warriors fined him (Wikipedia).
The 2023 suspensions. During the 2023 first round against Sacramento, the league suspended Green one game for stepping on Domantas Sabonis. On Nov. 14, 2023, he put Rudy Gobert in a headlock and received five games (ABC7). On Dec. 12, 2023, he struck Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkić in the face. The league suspended him indefinitely starting Dec. 14 and cited his repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts. He was reinstated on Jan. 6, 2024, after missing 12 games and meeting conditions set by the league and the team (NBA.com). Green said the swing at Nurkić was not intentional.
Veteran role
Contracts and the 2026 offseason. Green signed a four-year, $100 million extension in August 2019 and re-signed on another four-year, $100 million deal on July 8, 2023 (Wikipedia). In June 2026 he declined his $27.7 million player option for 2026-27, which gave Golden State more financial room while it pursued LeBron James. James signed with Philadelphia, and Green re-signed with the Warriors on July 30, 2026, on a one-year, $27.7 million deal running through 2026-27 (NBA.com). It is his 15th season with the franchise.
The late-career profile. As his scoring declined, Green’s role narrowed to running the defense and the offense. In 2025-26 he played 68 games and averaged 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 27.5 minutes. In his first eight games of 2026-27 he averaged 7.8 assists (Basketball-Reference). Away from the court, he started The Draymond Green Show podcast in November 2021 and joined Turner Sports as an analyst in January 2022 (Wikipedia).
By the numbers
| Season | GP | MPG | PTS | TRB | AST | STL | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | 79 | 13.4 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| 2013-14 | 82 | 21.9 | 6.2 | 5.0 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| 2014-15 | 79 | 31.5 | 11.7 | 8.2 | 3.7 | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| 2015-16 | 81 | 34.7 | 14.0 | 9.5 | 7.4 | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| 2016-17 | 76 | 32.5 | 10.2 | 7.9 | 7.0 | 2.0 | 1.4 |
| 2017-18 | 70 | 32.7 | 11.0 | 7.6 | 7.3 | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| 2018-19 | 66 | 31.3 | 7.4 | 7.3 | 6.9 | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| 2019-20 | 43 | 28.4 | 8.0 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| 2020-21 | 63 | 31.5 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 8.9 | 1.7 | 0.8 |
| 2021-22 | 46 | 28.9 | 7.5 | 7.3 | 7.0 | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| 2022-23 | 73 | 31.5 | 8.5 | 7.2 | 6.8 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| 2023-24 | 55 | 27.1 | 8.6 | 7.2 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 0.9 |
| 2024-25 | 68 | 29.2 | 9.0 | 6.1 | 5.6 | 1.5 | 1.0 |
| 2025-26 | 68 | 27.5 | 8.4 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 0.9 | 0.6 |
| 2026-27* | 8 | 27.5 | 2.9 | 5.1 | 7.8 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Career | 957 | 28.6 | 8.6 | 6.8 | 5.6 | 1.3 | 1.0 |
Per Basketball-Reference, regular season per-game, through Nov. 9, 2026. *2026-27 partial season.
Career totals
Per Basketball-Reference, regular season, through Nov. 9, 2026.
Ranks
- 1st Defensive rebounds, Warriors history (5,477)
- 2nd Games, Warriors history (957)
- 2nd Assists, Warriors history (5,386)
- 2nd Blocks, Warriors history (938)
- 3rd Steals, Warriors history (1,252)
- 3rd Total rebounds, Warriors history (6,503)
Per the Basketball-Reference Warriors career leaders, through Nov. 9, 2026.
Honors
- 4× NBA champion (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022)
- 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year
- 9× All-Defensive (First Team 5×)
- 4× All-Star (2016, 2017, 2018, 2022)
- 2× All-NBA (Second Team 2016, Third Team 2017)
- 2016-17 NBA steals leader
- 2012 consensus first-team All-American
- 2012 Big Ten Player of the Year
Per Basketball-Reference and Sports-Reference, through Nov. 9, 2026.
The arguments
Box score versus impact. One side holds that Green’s numbers fall short of a Hall of Fame standard. He has averaged 8.6 points per game over his career and never more than 14.0 in a season (Basketball-Reference). The other side points to his four titles, his DPOY award, nine All-Defensive selections and his franchise ranks in defensive rebounds, assists and blocks. In that view, his importance to the dynasty came from defense and decision-making that per-game scoring does not capture.
The 2016 Finals. Some accounts treat Green’s Game 5 suspension as the turning point of the 2016 Finals, since Golden State led 3-1 before he sat and lost the next three games. Others say James’s play carried Cleveland through Games 5 through 7 regardless (Basketball-Reference; Wikipedia).
Intensity and cost. Supporters describe Green’s intensity as the source of Golden State’s identity. The league’s own statements tied the length of his 2023 suspensions to his history of unsportsmanlike acts, and those suspensions cost the Warriors 17 regular-season games in one season (ABC7; NBA.com).
Why it matters
Green showed that a 35th overall pick without a natural position could become the defensive and playmaking center of a team that reached five straight Finals and won four championships. The small-ball center role he played became a model for building modern rosters. His record also includes repeated suspensions, which are part of any complete account of the Warriors dynasty, along with Curry’s shooting.
