Draymond Green plots retirement ‘transition’ with idea of when NBA career will end

CANNES — Draymond Green is anticipating his transition to life after the NBA.

The Warriors star, who helped bring four championships to the Bay Area, shed light on his future in the league Tuesday while discussing sports villains and athlete storytelling at Sport Beach, which is hosted by Stagwell at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

“As I transition in the next two or three years from basketball… I know that’s where my life leads me in the next two or three years,” Green, 35, said as he expressed his dedication to telling unbiased stories about the game on his eponymous podcast.

Green didn’t elaborate further about the end of his NBA career.

The four-time NBA All-Star, who’s known for his aggressiveness in the paint and unapologetic demeanor on the court, did explain why he enjoys being a sports villain.

“I think in order for there to be a hero, there has to be a villain,” Green said. “One doesn’t work without the other… It’s what creates storylines… If everyone’s the hero, who do we hate?”

Green, who claimed he’s a completely different person when he steps off of the court, said he’s motivated by winning and that it’s nothing personal when things turn chippy on the hardwood.

“And you may not think so, but I don’t always try to be hated,” said Green, whose on-court incident with Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert — when he grabbed him around the neck in a Nov. 14, 2023, game — was brought up by the panel’s host.

Green served a five-game suspension by the NBA for escalating an on-court altercation.

The incident occurred less than two minutes into the first regular-season meeting between Green’s Warriors and Gobert’s Timberwolves that season.

Green did not relate the Gobert scuffle to his career trajectory.

The 2017 Defensive Player of the Year has certainly made a name for himself in the media space with his podcast and his broadcast work with “Inside the NBA” as a guest analyst.