Draymond Green made more money per game this season than most American families will make in the span of several years, but the Golden State Warriors star thinks we should all feel badly about the way the NBA treats its players.
Green was rightfully torched by fans over some comments he made during a recent appearance on “The Big Podcast” with Shaquille O’Neal. While complaining about the fine system in the NBA, Green claimed that NBA players are not put in a position to be wealthy after they are done playing.
“The NBA fines to me, it don’t make sense. When you talk about as hard as we work to accumulate wealth, coming from situations that most people never make it out of, and then you get fined the way that we get fined. It’s actually not set up for us to be wealthy after we’re done playing,” Green said. “This job is not set up … the way we’re taxed, the way we’re fined.
“You hear about all these programs like this program this, this program — that’s just to cover everybody. This program is to teach this guy this. But if I do something wrong I lose $100,000. It took my mom four years when I was growing up to make $100,000, and I lose that in a night because, what? The referee got mad at me and he didn’t like what I said to him, so I lose $5,000 like that, on a tech?”
"It’s actually not set up for us to be wealthy after we’re done playing… It took my mom 4 years when I was growing up to make $100k. And I lose that a night because, what?”
Draymond Green isn’t happy about the NBA’s fines 👀
(via @bigpodwithshaq)pic.twitter.com/5WJVslPKS6
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 24, 2024
Come again? Green has made more than $177 million in on-court earnings during his NBA career. He has pocketed millions more from endorsements. Though he is in the highest federal tax bracket and pays additional taxes because he lives in California, it would be an understatement to say the 34-year-old has made enough money to last him several lifetimes.
As expected, fans on social media were not kind to Green:
I know I didn’t just listen to a guy who’s made $177,883,613 say he’s not set up to be wealthy for life because he was fined for public assault
— Gridiron Gage (@gridirongage) May 24, 2024
Draymond with his nearly 157 million in career earnings pic.twitter.com/4p9LaxmUbw
— KNICKS BEAST (@KnicksBeast) May 24, 2024
This man has a 4 year $100 million dollar contract and he complaining
— “Wanna Speak To The Inmate Press ” (@Marty__Byrde) May 24, 2024
You make $10 million+ a year. That’s more than most people make in their entire life.
— Jacob C. Edmunds (@JacobCEdmunds) May 24, 2024
You really can’t get more out of touch than that. The fines that Green has received — most of which were well-deserved — represent barely a fraction of his income. He and most of his NBA peers have more than enough money to live comfortably after their playing careers are over as long as they avoid idiotic financial decisions.
Green is no stranger to playing the victim card, but he may have outdone himself this time.
