When Green was a kid, growing up in Saginaw, Michigan, he didn't have access to gyms. In fact, the first time he ever saw gym equipment was when he was a freshman at Michigan State, gearing up for his first season playing basketball for Coach Tom Izzo. "I remember my first time getting on a stairmasterI was overweightand the pedals went straight to the floor," he said. "I couldnt even keep them up; I had never seen a stairmaster machine."
So he was inspired, eventually, to make it possible for not just any gyms, but affordable gyms to be available in neighborhoods similar to the one he grew up in. In recent months, Green has opened Blinks in Warren, Michigan, Redford, Michigan, and Evanston, Illinoisall small towns that could easily be home to, well, the next Draymond Green. "Being able to offer a helping hand in helping others, to help their loved ones, is important to me," he said. He doesn't plan on stopping at those first three, eitherthe plan right now is to eventually open 20, with the possibility of even more.
And while physical fitness has always been importanttransforming his body is what helped him become the NBA superstar he is today, after allhe keeps a keen eye on the mental aspect of both his own wellness and the league at large, too. This summer, the NBA announced new mental health guidelines for all 30 of its teams, which include having 1-2 mental health professionals retained full-time per team. Green deeply praised the efforts of Adam Silver, the NBA's commissioner who spearheaded the new policy. "It always floats under the radar, so I think its important to be in a great mental state when playing this game at such a high level," the versatile 6'7'' forward said. "Its something that has to be taken seriously, and I think its definitely been taken seriously in our sport."
There were also a few aspects of Green's summer that have been left up to mystery. While he was spotted with LeBron James on the set of the upcoming Space Jam 2 , he's still playing coy about what's going on with that whole thing ("I'm not sure I can answer that," he says when asked about the rumors).
What he definitively sets the record straight on, though, is the nature of his in-game trash talk. Just about from the moment he first entered the league, Green has been one of its most animated and exciting players to watchif you're a fan, you love to root for him, and if you're an opponent, you hate going against him.
Part of that is due to his defensive dominance and versatility, but another part is his reputation as one of the league's most effective trash talkers. With a few months off in between seasons, do any ideas for ways to get in anyone's head start forming in the back of his head? That answer is the most definitive no of any.
"Trash talking isnt something you practice," Green says. "Its a natural thing. I grew up playing the game that wayyoure at the rec center, youre in high school, you talk. Thats just the way I grew up playing the game of basketball."
So that settles itDraymond Green, just as versatile at talking trash as he is at defending every single person on the court.
