“Sad How Intimidated the U.S. Players Are”: Warriors Star Draymond Green Bares the Brunt of Fans After His Brutal Take on European Players

Published 03/03/2023, 4:30 AM EST

Over the last few years, the NBA has witnessed a considerable increment in the performance of international players on the hardwood. European stars like Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are arguably the best international stars. Moreover, the media often scrutinized international players for their performances and ability to win rings. Similarly, the Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green made a controversial opinion on European players in a recent podcast show. Following his statement, fans swarmed the social media comment section with varied takes on the Dubs star’s opinion.

The 4X NBA champion Green has always been vocal and stayed true to his opinions related to NBA. The Dubs star regularly features in a podcast show along with various NBA personalities discussing the game. Similarly, in a recent episode, while analyzing the veteran analyst Stephen A. Smith’s Top 5 players to win a title under pressure, he made a controversial take on European players.

Draymond Green stirs up fan debate

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Smith’s list included only one European player, Nikola Jokic amid stars like Jayson Tatum and James Harden. However, reacting to the list on his podcast The Draymond Green Show, Green triggered fans with his statement. He said, “I feel like over the years, European players has not caught the same flak of winning a championship as US players.”

.@stephenasmith's NBA players under the MOST pressure to win a title:
1. Chris Paul
2. James Harden
3. Jayson Tatum
4. Nikola Jokić
5. Kawhi Leonard pic.twitter.com/xS5oKZZU9x
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 22, 2023

.@Money23Green and Gilbert Arenas speak on European players not being held to the same standard as US players pic.twitter.com/Vav5uIUzg1
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) March 2, 2023

Furthermore, he also pointed out the absence of the Slovenian star Luka Doncic from the list as proof of his statement. Notably, Doncic has dropped the most points this season with 1,801 points.

WATCH: Draymond Green Punch Comes Back to Haunt Stephen Curry’s Teammate as Nets Fans Tear Into the Warriors

Following the brutal take, Green’s statement surfaced on Twitter, and the fans swarmed the tweets comments section attacking the Dubs star. One user said, “It’s honestly sad how intimidated the U.S. players are by the rest of the world.” Following are some reactions from NBA Twitter.

I dont agree. I do think Giannis and Dirk faced that criticism. Luka is young, so he hasn’t the championship or bust stage of his career, Manu and Tony Parker won titles early, and only Jokic gets a pass. Who would be the European player who was great that didn’t get called out
— Jamal (@ShaderoomMal) March 2, 2023

Can Draymond just focus on his own team making a push to try and win another chip this year? He's been so concerned with everyone else's teams all year. It's getting old.
— BBALLBABE (@BBALLBABE6) March 2, 2023

Draymond has played with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant and he’s acting like he carried a team to a championship. Good lord. Most championship teams have at least two hall of famers or minimum a hall of famer and consistent all-star. Jokic has never played with one.
— BroncoBuff_2001 (@CO_Buff79) March 2, 2023

Sorta, has a point, maybe? A lot of people when making their "Who's under the most pressure to win a championship this season" lists put Tatum, Kawhi, Durant, over guys like Jokic, Luka, and Embiid. Kinda crazy since 2/3 Americans have rings already.
— Unbiased NBA Fan (@nonbiasednbafan) March 2, 2023

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It's honestly sad how intimidated the U.S. players are by the rest of the world.
— Nikola Jokić MVP Horseman🃏🐎 (@BroncoNuggs) March 2, 2023

However, later in the show, Green appreciated the international players for acquiring a majority of the positions in his Top 10 players of the NBA. He said, “Luka, Joker, Giannis…Joel.. they are real guys, these guys are the top 10 guys in our league.” Even though Green lauded these players, the fans didn’t hold back from criticizing the star.

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What do you make of the opinion shared by Draymond Green on the European players? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Shahul Hameed is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He holds a Master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has previously worked as a contributor at an online news site. Shahul has always shared a keen interest in journalism, starting off as a reporter for his college news journal.

Edited by:

Aayush Kapoor

“Sad How Intimidated the U.S. Players Are”: Warriors Star Draymond Green Bares the Brunt of Fans After His Brutal Take on European Players

Draymond Green stirs up fan debate

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