'I told KD ‘imma win when you leave here': Draymond Green Reflects on 2022 Championship Ring

He continued, ‘Boston, they’re too athletic.’ And we went and made it happen, and also I told KD ‘imma win when you leave here…’ and I did, so that one was the most fulfilling for me.”

The 2022 roster was different from past championship squads. They finished the regular season with a 53-29 record to claim the 3rd seed in the Western Conference. Klay Thompson was just returning from ACL and Achilles injuries. 

Questions surrounded the team for being too small. Analysts favored the Boston Celtics in the Finals because of their athleticism and length. This was the season Curry silenced all the doubters. He earned his first Finals MVP award by averaging 31.2 points per game. 

They defeated the Denver Nuggets in 5 games, the Memphis Grizzlies in 6, the Dallas Mavericks in 5, and the Celtics in 6 games. Andrew Wiggins played elite defense on Jayson Tatum.

Jordan Poole provided scoring bursts, while Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II gave the team depth. The title became the validation for the original core group. However, the roots of this motivation started years earlier.

A Promise Made to Kevin Durant 

The story goes back to an October 2018 confrontation between Green and Durant. The incident happened during a practice and film session disagreement.

Durant yelled at his teammates about poor ball movement. Green fired back and reminded Durant that the team had already won a championship before he arrived.

Green and Durant played together from the 2016-17 season through the 2018-19 season. They reached 3 straight Finals and won rings in 2017 and 2018.

However, their final year ended with a 2019 Finals loss to the Toronto Raptors, where Durant suffered a severe Achilles injury in Game 5. 

Durant left Golden State in the summer of 2019. He wanted a fresh start and a chance to lead his own team without the superteam narrative hanging over him.

He decided to decline his player option and form a new partnership with Kyrie Irving on the Brooklyn Nets.

When the Warriors won without him, Durant shared his thoughts in a December 2022 interview. He never said that the team wasn’t a championship group.

Instead, he admitted he hated how the 2022 title became a story about his own legacy. 

Durant felt the media unfairly shifted the focus away from Golden State’s great achievement and turned it into a debate about whether they ever needed him.

Looking back in 2024, Green explained why the 2022 championship completed his emotional arc. It was their first post-Durant title and their 4th championship in eight years. 

Curry finally got his Finals MVP, and the team found redemption after missing the playoffs in previous years due to injuries.

What is your favorite moment from the Warriors’ 2022 title run?