Why Draymond Will Always Appreciate Jerry West’s Brutal Honesty

Why Draymond Will Always Appreciate Jerry West’s Brutal Honesty originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area

Draymond Green doesn’t shy away from the truth, so he can appreciate when others do the same.

That’s what the Warriors forward achieved by NBA legend Jerry Westwho died peacefully at home on Wednesday morning, aged 86.

Green, who spent the first five seasons of his NBA career with West while serving as member of the Golden State executive board until 2017, he reflected on the special relationship he had with “The Logo” and shared what he appreciates most about the irreplaceable bond.

“One of the most talented players of all time. He was a pioneer of the sport – and I had the opportunity to meet him in person,” Green said on “The Draymond Green Show.” “And he was an incredible person, an incredible man. I think what I appreciate most about it is that you are discovering the truth, whether you like it or not – you are understanding the truth. He was a huge supporter of mine and I always appreciated that, but he was also extremely critical of me.

“He would express that support to others and criticize me to others. He would express that support to me and criticize me to myself. I always appreciated that because, number one, having a conversation with Logo, having that conversation was always special to me .This is the guy we grew up with, ‘This is Logo.’ It’s self-explanatory. We all know the emblem.

West was an NBA champion, NBA Finals MVP, Olympic gold medalist and the inspiration behind the league’s iconic logo. He began his historic professional basketball career in 1960 and influenced basketball for eight decades, winning nine championships as a player, scout, coach, executive and consultant.

The Los Angeles Lakers selected West with the second overall pick in the 1960 NBA Draft, and he passed his entire Hall of Fame playing career with purple and gold. He averaged 27 points on 47.4 percent shooting, with 5.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists, in 932 games over 14 seasons.

West was a 14-time NBA All-Star, 12-time All-NBA and five-time All-Defensive, but his impact went beyond those accolades.

Green – and the Success and dominance of the warriors of the league over the last decade – is proof of that.

“Number two, being willing to support me, to train me in a way, to give me advice, to stand up for me and to give me your love, I will always be grateful for that,” Green continued. “To have him in the Warriors organization at the time we had him, you could feel his voice. You could always feel his presence. His presence in that organization was huge. Any time you can have one of the best of all time, things that you just capture, the knowledge that you capture, the weight that his voice carried, I think it was a great help for everyone.

“It was one of the reasons we had the success we had. Having Logo around was huge because you get the whole experience. ‘ would say in a heartbeat: ‘You are idiots, you don’t know.’ Someone who holds you accountable the way he did, you can’t replace those people in your life. These people are invaluable. For that, I am extremely grateful for my relationship with Logo. [and] the times we shared.”

Green has definitely accepted this behavior, and as long as Green is a member of the Warriors organization, this isn’t going anywhere.

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