SAN FRANCISCO -- Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors forward, said Thursday that he doesn't feel it's his right to push the COVID-19 vaccination on Andrew Wiggins.
Green spoke for the first time in training camp since the beginning. He made it clear that he does not intend to use his power to persuade Wiggins to get vaccinated, even though he is a leader.
That would be Andrew, who everybody knows just had a child about 5 months ago. It would be me telling him, "Yo, your wife's going into labor." "How dare you leave the team and not take care of your wife?" Green stated. Green said, "That's something personal to him. It's health-related. This is something that's very personal to his family. This is no exception. This is a situation that feels almost like a political battle between vaccinated and unvaccinated people. It's becoming very political, I believe."
The problem is compounded by the fact that both Wiggins as well as the Warriors are not immune to the recent San Francisco Department of Public Health announcement that no exemption would apply for people 12 years and older who attend large indoor gatherings. This week, the NBA announced that players who don't comply with local vaccination requirements won't receive any compensation for games they miss.
Wiggins did not give any explanations during Monday's media conference. He stated that it was his decision to lose substantial money and not the reporters'. Wiggins recently lost his request for a religious exemption from the NBA.
Green stated Thursday that even if someone isn't very interested in politics, if you make it so political, and not everyone likes politics, you can turn people off." "You have to respect people's feelings, and their personal beliefs. This is especially true when it comes time to vaccinated or not vaccinated. ... You claim that we live in the land where everyone is free. But you don't give anyone freedom. Instead, you force people to do something without actually making them do it. This goes against everything America stands up for, or supposedly stands for.
Green, who was exempted from the first two days training camp because of personal reasons, passionately spoke on a variety of topics in a 30-minute session. However, it was Wiggins’ decision that caused a lengthy defense from Green. Steve Kerr, Warriors coach, said that Wiggins was still not available for comment after Thursday's practice.
Green stated that he is not in a position to tell Green what he should do or not. "And as a leader in his team, I'm unable to say to him, "Hey man, we really do need..." ". You do what you feel. I won't go to him and ask him if he got a polio vaccine. Why would I ask him if his COVID vaccine was received? It's not my place or mine to decide if he got vaccinated. It is not my place to decide whether or not he gets vaccinated. You have the right to make your own decision about what you do with the rest of your body. It is not my right to tell him what he should do or should not with his body. Because he won't tell me what to do with my body.
Green was also asked about a podcast episode he did this summer, "Chips," where he and Kevin Durant criticized Kerr and Warriors general manger Bob Myers for how their relationship deteriorated after a heated argument during a November 2018 match against the Los Angeles Clippers. Many fans blame Green for Durant's departure. They point to the emotional breakdown between Durant and Durant. However, Green and Durant both said that they believed the management could have handled the situation better.
Green was specifically asked if he feels Kerr and Myers are any different now than before the podcast.
Green stated, "I don’t know." Green said, "I don’t believe it’s any different from it was before." Blaming someone is not something I would say, but I did tell my story. It was something you had never heard before. You may have heard bits and pieces, but it was not something you'd heard me really talk about. Kevin and I also didn't talk about it in detail. Everyone thinks that we have this extreme hatred or some s---y like that. This is most likely the worst possible truth.
"But for me personally, that conversation was a great experience. Why did I enjoy it? Because it confirmed a lot of what I believed. Because people push narratives. ... I said some things and the pundits were like, "Oh no, they're lying!" Kevin and me are lying because I don't think my words fit anymore into their narrative. It was the whole story of "Man, Draymond is why Kevin left" and blah blah blah. Their narrative, which has been pushing for two to three years, was sort of like, "Damn, your s ---'s inaccurate." But I saw people still saying, "No, those guys are lying!" This is what actually happened! Huh? Huh?
Green is focusing on the challenge of trying bring in a group of young Warriors players to help deliver another title. He believes that the goal of winning the championship this season is still the same, regardless of the uncertain fate of lottery picks such as second-year center James Wiseman, and rookies Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody.
Green stated that winning a title is something Green has always had a realistic expectation. "I have control over what I do and don't do on the court. I believe that if I get out there and play well, we can be great. Is that realistic? I'm not sure. Is it really my expectation? Yes. Find me the loser who doesn't believe they can win the season. You'll find the man you were searching for. It's always my expectation to win.
