Draymond Green is almost always at the center of the action on the basketball court, and frequently as the topic of NBA conversation in between games. Such was the case during Wednesday’s episode of ESPN’s First Take, when Chris “Mad Dog” Russo aired several grievances about the way Green conducts himself.
This time, former player and current podcast host JJ Redick was there for a biting response.
Russo lamented Green’s outspoken ways, and bemoaned that he wished the star forward would “shut up and play” at the start of the segment.
“He’s so hard to root for,” Russo said. “Shut up and play. Will you please? America’s tired of Draymond Green. I deal with him constantly. Be quiet and play. We all know he has a great skill set for that team. I understand how good he is. I can’t root for him.”
When Redick got a chance to respond, he took Russo to task, pointing out that Green has his own popular podcast and that people are interested in hearing what he has to say. After Russo responded saying that, among older fans, Green is very unpopular, Redick took particular issue with Russo’s “shut up and play” remark.
“The fans you’re talking about, talk about athletes the way that you just did,” Redick said. “The people on Fox News talk about them that way. That’s my issue. I don’t actually care about fans who watched Bob Cousy play, or Wilt play. I don’t care. I appreciate that they’ve been fans that long, but I don’t appreciate the undertone.”
