May 12, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) dribbles the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Chase Center. Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Draymond Green Joins Rare NBA History with Latest Accomplishment

Originally posted on Golden State Warriors on SI
By Matt Guzman | Last updated May 22, 2025 4:24 PM ET

Draymond Green joined some elite company Thursday afternoon.

After securing his ninth NBA All-Defensive First Team nod, Green became the fifth player in league history to have nine All-Defensive nods and a Defensive Player of the Year Award, joining Gary Payton, Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, and Kevin Garnett.

Draymond Green is the 5th player in NBA history to be 9x All-Defensive & have a DPOY. pic.twitter.com/dT8wTkuhPT
— Polymarket Hoops (@StatMamba) May 22, 2025

The full group of 2024-25 All-Defensive winners is as follows:

Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks
Lu Dort, Oklahoma City Thunder
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets

The 2024-25 Kia NBA All-Defensive First Team:

▪️ Dyson Daniels of @ATLHawks
▪️ Luguentz Dort of @okcthunder
▪️ Draymond Green of @warriors
▪️ Evan Mobley of @cavs
▪️ Amen Thompson of @HoustonRockets pic.twitter.com/5PVe0iHPAn
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 22, 2025

This season, Green averaged nine points, 6.1 points, 5.6 assists and 2.5 stocks. He played a crucial piece of the Warriors' postseason run alongside Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler III. Green is now the 13th player in NBA history to earn at least nine All-Defensive team honors.

"You can see the parallels," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Green and Chicago Bulls legends Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, "the length, the physicality."

Steve Kerr followed up on his comments about Draymond Green being “the best defender he’s ever seen.”

His top three all-time defenders are Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Green. pic.twitter.com/KuhwnK9Nzc
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 21, 2025

"Ultimately it's up here," Kerr added, gesturing to his head. "It's the brain. Dennis and Scottie were the two smartest defenders I've ever been around, and Draymond is amazing in that regard."

The Warriors were bounced from the Western Conference Playoffs in the second round after facing the Minnesota Timberwolves. Behind Green, Curry and Butler, they'll look to go further next season to extend their championship window.

This article first appeared on Golden State Warriors on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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