Warriors forward Draymond Green has never been shy when calling people out, and that still rings true in the middle of a playoff series. The three-time NBA champion criticized The Ringer founder Bill Simmons on his Instagram story Wednesday for what Simmons said about Rockets rookie Jalen Green.
During an April 13 episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons had some harsh words for the Houston guard when comparing him to Pelicans rookie Herbert Jones.
“And I put [Jones] first-team all-rookie. I put him over Jalen Green,” Simmons said. “F--- Jalen Green. I don’t care you’re scoring 40 points and your team’s 19–60. Congratulations. I'm sorry, I like winning players."
Green posted the audio clip and responded to Simmons. Green was not only upset at Simmons’s comments, he also wanted the NBA to take notice that someone who shares this kind of opinion shouldn’t have a vote on NBA honors like the All-Rookie teams. Honors like MVP and Defensive Player of the Year can impact contract stipulations for players, and these awards are voted on by the media.
“How is it that this guy has a voice in deciding if Jalen Green will qualify for a super max deal?” Green wrote on Instagram. “He clearly says F Him, which sounds very personal btw. But he has a say in what someone earns? What work has he done in this life that qualifies him to have a say in an NBA players salary? @NBA.”
After the podcast released, the Rockets rookie seemingly responded on Twitter that same day by tweeting, “it is what it is.”
It’s worth noting that after his initial comments, Simmons added that he was a fan of Green, but didn’t believe he was one of the five best rookies in the 2021 class.
“I’m pro Jalen Green, I just didn’t think he was one of the best five rookies,” he said. “But we also had an iconic rookie class. I think that was one of the best rookie classes we’ve had.”
Green averaged 17.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists this past season but the Rockets finished with the worst record in the NBA at 20–62. Green was second in rookie scoring only to Detroit’s Cade Cunningham at 17.4 points per game.
