Draymond Green really stirred the pot when he self-proclaimed himself the best defender in the history of the NBA, something that didn’t sit well with a lot of people around the league. Draymond has earned his stripes, no doubt about it, but calling himself the greatest defender of all time is too much and a lot of people decided to let him know.
Kendrick Perkins and Tony Allen were the first ones to react to this but behind them, you can find more players willing to argue with Green and refute his case as the GOAT defender. Chris Webber was one of the latest voices to join this list, and although he praised the Golden State Warriors big man, he made it clear that putting himself over plenty of big names that came before him is just too much.
“There is no way to say ever. That’s just crazy. And whoever agrees with him, you don’t know basketball. And Draymond should say what he says.”
“Two things can be right… He is the man defensively.”
Webber mentioned other players that he considers were better than Draymond, including Dennis Rodman, Kevin Garnett and Bill Russell, as well as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. He acknowledged that the 3-time NBA champion has done a terrific job during his career but saying ‘ever’ is just too much for him.
It seems like nobody but Dray believes this but if he’s confident in his talents, he should express it. Shaquille O’Neal supported that and he encouraged Green to do it, actually (2:37 mark).
“I like players that talk about themselves that way. If he feels that way, he has G-14 Classification to say that.”
Draymond is definitely one of the best defenders the league has seen in the past 20 years and he keeps showing that every season. He has earned awards for his defensive work but not everybody agrees that he’s the best defender the NBA has ever seen.
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