'Huge Moment of Growth,' Draymond Green Talks Video of 'Heated' Steve Kerr Exchange

The relationship between Draymond Green and Steve Kerr was fully under the spotlight when the forward left the bench during a timeout following an argument with the head coach during the Golden State Warriors' win over the Orlando Magic on Monday, and Green addressed the situation during an appearance on Inside the NBA ahead of Thursday's slate of games.

"Things are great. You know, we we had a great day yesterday," Green said. "We had a great practice, some great conversations. Not only just that, you know, and I'm, I'm really happy that I left that huddle when I did, because then it allowed us yesterday to just move forward and talk about what we needed to talk about and the things that we need to get done with this team. 

"I think we're starting to play a lot better, so, it was good to mitigate the damage, mitigate the damages, continue to move on. We've been together for a very long time. And stuff happens, so I'm excited, you know, to continue plan, and get out there today and go get a win."

Shaquille O'Neal asked Green if he felt it was wrong to leave the bench since he is seen as a leader of the Warriors.

"Uh, no, Shaq, and being that Steve and I have had those moments I felt like I knew a better way to handle it," he said. "I just thought it was very heated, and it wasn't going to change. And so I thought it was best for me to get myself out of the moment, allow, you know, things to go down.

"And I thought our team was playing great. Like, we weren't hitting shots, but we were playing a great game. And I didn't want the one thing to become two, you know? So let that moment happen, remove myself. We have a good enough team to go continue playing great and win the game, which we did. And I thought that was the best thing to do, and instead of sitting in that moment, continues to fester. 

"Things continue to build. All of a sudden, things are said that you can't come back from tomorrow. And so, I thought, you know, that was a huge moment of growth for me, of not just standing there, sitting there arguing with Steve, but getting out the way, allowing our team to play great and get a win that we needed."

Stephen Curry also addressed the situation after the team's win over the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas day:

"Them two are [now] in a better place," Curry told reporters. "Stuff like that happens. They have the equity of years and years of a relationship that has had its moments. They handled yesterday at practice well and we handled today well as a team."

Green's comments come after Kerr addressed the situation during his media session Wednesday.

"Monday night was not my finest hour, and that was a time I needed to be calm in the huddle," the head coach said. "I regret my actions in that exchange. I apologized to [Green]. He apologized to me. We both apologized to the team.

"These things, they happen—especially when you get two incredibly competitive people like Dray and me. So, over the 12 years we've been together, this has happened occasionally, and I'm not proud of it."

Green retreated to the locker room and returned to sit on the bench for the fourth quarter. While he has always been known as an emotional player throughout his career, it was still a head-turning moment for someone who has been so integral to the franchise's success under Kerr.

"We are far more alike than anyone would ever realize," Kerr said. "So yeah, this is not totally uncommon. I would say this hasn't happened in a few years, this kind of a divide and a blowup, but in our 12 years together, it's not the first time. And we've always, always found a way to not only bounce back, but to make strides as a result."

The head coach also said he hopes Green retires as a Warrior.

It would be fitting since he is one of the most important figures in franchise history. Golden State selected him with a second-round pick in the 2012 NBA draft, and he has been Stephen Curry's primary running mate for four championships and six NBA Finals appearances.

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Golden State won an NBA-record 73 regular-season games in 2015-16, and Green's ability to play center in small-ball lineups and lock down opposing bigs as one of the league's best defensive players played a major role in the success.

The 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year and nine-time All-Defensive selection is a franchise legend and will always be connected with Curry and Kerr thanks to so much success.

And the comments from both the forward and head coach indicated they have moved past Monday's issue as they look to add to that success with a turnaround in 2025-26.

The Warriors have now won two in a row and are back at .500 at 15-15 heading into Thursday's Christmas Day showdown against the Dallas Mavericks.