Draymond Green has carved a reputation as a fierce competitor. To the fans at home or in the arena, dunking on someone is already a spectacle, but the four-time champion dunking on someone and then turning around to bark at a completely different player is a whole other level, and now the man on the receiving end of that particular outburst is his own teammate.

In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports’ Mark Medina, Kristaps Porzingis revealed the memorable moment that defined his history with Green long before they ever shared a locker room. “He’s just always talking something,” Porzingis said. “He dunked on one of my teammates, and he’s yelling at me, ‘You mother—!’ I’m like, ‘Are you talking to me?’ We’ve had our moments, for sure, and a few pushes and shoves.” The incident, which is still vivid enough for Porzingis to recount in detail, captured Green in his most unapologetic form, trash-talking someone who wasn’t even involved in the play, simply because he was there. Classic Draymond.

What made the revelation all the more layered is where Porzingis sits today. Now teammates on the Golden State Warriors, the 7-footer from Latvia has a front-row seat to watch that same edge work in his favor. “It’s been great to have on my side, for sure,” Porzingis told Medina. “He is a guy that plays with a lot of heart and a lot of emotion and an edge. Draymond and I have had our tangles throughout our years. But to have him on my side, I can see who he is. He’s really like that. It’s been a pleasure to be his teammate.”

A Porzingis-Green Partnership Built for the Postseason

The timing of that mutual respect also matters. The 10th-placed Warriors enter the NBA Play-In Tournament against the No. 9 LA Clippers with Steve Kerr viewing Kristaps Porzingis as “a weapon” in both big and small lineups. And with Golden State already leaning on the Porzingis-Green partnership defensively, the former rivals-turned-teammates are being counted on to anchor the most important stretch of their season together.

Green himself laid the groundwork when Porzingis first arrived. He told EssentiallySports that he’d have a bigger comfort level being even more aggressive defensively with Porzingis protecting the rim behind him. Porzingis acknowledged the dynamic is still developing. “I still feel like we have many levels to get to,” he said. “But I think they can feel it with having that rim protection. It’s going to be there. The healthier that I get, the higher level that we’ll be. To have Draymond defensively with me out there makes my life a lot easier.”

Kristaps Porzingis, who arrived in the Bay Area via trade after stints with the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks, brings elite length and shot-blocking ability when fully healthy. In the 2025-26 season with the Warriors, he averaged around 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game despite missing time with injuries (including left Achilles, lower back, right knee) and illness. His presence allowed Green, a Defensive Player of the Year caliber disruptor, to roam more freely without leaving the paint completely exposed.

With Steph Curry only recently returning from a 27-game absence due to a knee injury, there is no more familiar dynamic in the league than the one Curry and Green possess. And Golden State will lean heavily on that, potentially with Porzingis and Al Horford flanking them in double-big lineups that can stretch the floor and protect the rim simultaneously. The Warriors have been in far more favorable positions heading into playoff basketball, but if there’s one thing Draymond Green has never struggled with, it’s making his presence felt, and that’s even on people who weren’t directly involved in the play