Warriors' Steve Kerr Hypes Draymond Green as 'Best Defensive Player' Ever, Cites Pippen, Rodman

Steve Kerr, a former teammate of Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, told the New Yorker's Charles Bethea he's never seen a better NBA defender than Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green.

"He's the best defensive player I've ever seen. And that's saying a lot, given that I played with Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman," Kerr told Bethea.

Kerr continued, per Bethea: "The modern game demands so much more than it did in the nineties. You have to be able to guard all five positions, because there's so much pace and energy and crossmatches. You race back on defense, you've got to guard the guy in front of you. And then there's the 'pick-on' game: the opposing team is going to bring the weakest defender into every pick-and-roll to gain an advantage.

"Draymond, he can guard any action, any position, any player. And he can also blow up the play behind the play if he's not involved in the action because of his brain, his speed, his reach. I think he's no more than six-five and a half... seven-one wingspan, incredible strength. He wins every jump ball because he's quicker to anticipate what's happening, which means he's getting to the rotation faster. He's seeing what's happening faster. He's just a step ahead of the other nine guys."

Kerr, who has yet to confirm if he's returning for the 2025-26 season, has spent the first 12 years of his career as the Warriors' head coach with Green.

This isn't the first time Green has been compared to these two Hall of Famers by Kerr, who said in March 2025 he felt that trio represented his top three defenders of all time.

"I think what makes Draymond different from Scottie is that Draymond is physically stronger and more capable of guarding low-post players," Kerr said last March, per NBC Sports Bay Area's Joaquin Ruiz.

Kerr continued, per Ruiz: "What I see with Draymond when he's guarding the post, it's incredible when you then add on top of that his ability to guard pick-and-roll all the way at halfcourt. I think Dennis Rodman is actually a great [comparison] for Draymond in that regard."

Green played a key defensive role in the play-in comeback victory over the Los Angeles Clippers that allowed the Warriors to stay alive for a second postseason game earlier this month.

He finished this season with one third-place vote for his second Defensive Player of the Year award and could still become the sixth player in NBA history to be named to 10 All-Defense Teams later this spring.

Kerr told Bethea his retirement would have been "an easy decision" if Green and Stephen Curry weren't set to play another season for the Warriors.

Curry is signed through the 2026-27 campaign, while Green has a player option for next season.

"I don't want to abandon those guys... These are all conversations that will happen in the next week or two and we'll figure it out," Kerr told Bethea.

Green said last week on his podcast The Draymond Green Show that he hoped Kerr would remain the Warriors coach next season, but that he didn't think Kerr would return after his team's season-ending play-in loss to the Phoenix Suns.

ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel reported Monday that Kerr and the Warriors "are expected to come to terms on what is next this week."

Kerr's return would be supported by Warriors owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. as well as "Curry, Green, and the entire locker room," according to Siegel.

Should Kerr decide to walk away from the Warriors, he could potentially pursue a career in broadcasting. Front Office Sports' Ryan Glasspiegel reported last week that Kerr has been "meeting with media agents."