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Golden State Warriors All-Star forward Draymond Green is quite the polarizing basketball player, and his head coach, Steve Kerr, can attest to that over their years together in the Bay Area.
Kerr and Green have gotten into their spats over the years, but four NBA titles together has also been the result.
During a recent, in-depth interview with The New Yorker, Kerr admitted that Green has pushed him to his limits. And while he would “do anything for him,” Kerr also admitted that Green has crossed the line to the point of no return.
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Draymond Green reacts with head coach Steve Kerr after being ejected during the final moments of an NBA play-in tournament game against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on April 17, 2026. The Suns defeated the Warriors 111-96. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
“There’s things he’s done that I can never forgive him for, and yet I will do anything for him,” Kerr said to the outlet.
It’s no secret that Kerr and Green have needed to be separated, whether it’s during a game or in a more private setting. In December 2025, Green was seen telling Kerr, “F— you,” ultimately leading to the star forward getting sent to the locker room in a game against the Orlando Magic.
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“Yeah. I mean, people pulling us apart. And in my first five years, we would get into three knockdown, dragouts a year,” Kerr said about him and Green. “Part of it was, I just had to show the rest of the team that I’m in charge. You have to do things by a set of standards. It’s a community that you’re building, not just a team — a little society with values and standards and expectations. And then you’re a community that has to police itself. The coach has to demand certain behaviors, certain habits. So then for a long time we had a truce. I understood him so well. He understood me. But this year, we had a major blowout in December.”
Kerr called Green “such a unique person” who has quite the mind for basketball. He’s needed it to play his position at only 6-foot-6, when forwards are usually much taller elsewhere in the league.
As Green, 36, is closer to retirement than he isn’t, coaching has been a speculation. He was usually not in that state of mind, but in recent discussion, Green seems open to the prospect of coaching after his playing days.
Kerr isn’t sure, though, if he’s temperament is fit for it.
“I don’t know that he’ll coach. He definitely has the brain for it. I don’t know if he has the patience,” Kerr explained. “He’s an incredibly passionate, emotional guy, and that passion and energy has frequently gotten him in trouble. And I love him. I think he’s a really good-hearted person with an incredible brain, but if he wants to coach, he’s going to have to learn how to control some of that emotion, that desire, and that fire that burns within him, and it’s not an easy thing to do.”
Draymond Green and head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors react during the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga., on March 21, 2026. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
Green isn’t the most gifted NBA players in terms of physical stature, speed or strength. But Green knows how tenacious he can be as a defender, making the All-Defensive NBA team nine times in his career, while winning the 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year Award.
In fact, Kerr, who played with the iconic Chicago Bulls dynasty during his time on the hardwood, said Green is the best defender he’s ever witnessed in the league.
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“That’s saying a lot, given that I played with Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman,” Kerr added. “The modern game demands so much more than it did in the 1990s. You have to be able to guard all five positions, because there’s so much pace and energy and crossmatches. You race back on defense, you’ve got to guard the guy in front of you. And then there’s the “pick-on” game: the opposing team is going to bring the weakest defender into every pick-and-roll to gain an advantage.
“Draymond, he can guard any action, any position, any player. And he can also blow up the play behind the play if he’s not involved in the action because of his brain, his speed, his reach.”
It’s one of those rollercoaster relationships, but one that Kerr will never regret with Green – even if he’s crossed the line a time or two.
Draymond Green talks to head coach Steve Kerr after receiving a technical foul in the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings during the NBA In-Season Tournament game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., on Nov. 28, 2023. (Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
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While Green has a player option for next season with the Warriors, all eyes are on Kerr as he mulls a big decision of whether he wishes to return as head coach or not. He told the outlet it would be an easy decision if Green and Steph Curry were to retire this year, but that’s not the case.
Kerr said the Warriors will discuss their vision for the future in the coming weeks, but he’s unsure right now if he will be a part of it.
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