Warriors’ Draymond Green teases Shaq podcast with ‘favorite player’ admission

Just because the Golden State Warriors did not make it to the 2024 NBA Playoffs, that doesn’t mean Draymond Green has faded away from the league picture. He’s very much still around, from helping the guys on Inside the NBA cover the playoffs to being busy doing podcast work. More recently, he teamed up with no other than legendary big man and Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal on The Draymond Green Show. Green himself couldn’t believe that the player he grew up idolizing had become someone he’d be sharing a show with.

“If you would’ve told the kid in Saginaw who’s first jersey was Shaq 32 with the stripes, Magic nightlight and zip up onesie that I’ll sit with The Diesel and ask questions one day, I would’ve pinched myself to see if it was real. Still pinching myself 🤯My Favorite Player!” the Warriors do-it-all forward posted on X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter).

Green was born in 1990, which means he was just two years old when Shaq got drafted in the NBA first overall by the Orlando Magic in 1992. Shaq played for the Magic until the 1995-96 season and by that time, Green had already watched a lot of Shaquille O’Neal highlights, but the best was yet to come. When Shaq became part of the Los Angeles Lakers, that’s when his career started to really take off, as he won three of his four NBA rings with the Purple & Gold matchup.

Green, who was a second-round pick (35th overall) by the Warriors in the 2012 NBA Draft, has been a four-time NBA All-Star and is a former NBA Defensive Player of the Year winner.

Draymon Green’s future with the Warriors

Like Shaq, Green has won a total of four NBA championships, all with the Warriors. Since he’s still active in the NBA, he’s got a chance to surpass Shaq’s ring count, though, that would be easier said than done. In any case, Green is having quite a great time in his offseason, seemingly maximizing the opportunity for him to promote and expand his podcast. Perhaps Green has a future career in broadcasting and is already laying the foundation for a career shift once his playing days are over, which could come sooner than later. The 34-year-old Green, however, could have a few more seasons left in his body. He still has a contract with the Warriors with a player option worth $27.678 million for the 2026-27 NBA season.

There have been rumors of the Warriors potentially looking to trade Green, but others also believe that Golden State would still end up keeping the former Michigan State Spartans star along with fellow Dubs core members Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to continue giving it a go for another shot at a title together. That is not entirely in the Warriors’ control, specifically Thompson’s future with Golden State as, unlike Curry and Green, Thompson is a pending unrestricted free agent.

Either way, most Warriors fans likely would love to see Green continue donning Golden State colors until the day he retires. Green will be earning a salary of $24.107 million in the 2024-25 NBA season and $25.899 million more in the 2025-26 campaign. This season, Green averaged 8.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists through 55 games while shooting 49.7 percent from the floor and 39.5 percent from behind the arc.