The NBA's most intense feud reignited when Draymond Green , the forward for the Golden State Warriors, branded Jusuf Nurkic , the center for the Phoenix Suns, as the “biggest hater in the NBA.”
In a candid conversation with the legendary Shaquille O’Neal on “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” Green revealed how the “Bosnian Beast” had taken a dig at the Warriors’ loss in the play-ins, a move that prevented them from entering the playoffs.
Make it make sense
The native of Michigan is no stranger to engaging in verbal conflicts with anyone in the league. With Nurkic, the former Defensive Player of the Year, pleaded for the Suns' big man to make his social media attacks make sense. The 7-footer, who holds an embarrassing 3-17 record in the postseason—the worst mark of all time—posted a Looney Tunes meme that said, “That’s all folks,” when the Warriors lost to the Sacramento Kings in the play-in tournament last April.
“How you going to tweet at us, ‘That's all folks,’ and you got the worst playoff record in NBA history? The worst win percentage. And then, you’re going to tweet, ‘That's all folks?’ Man, I can go to sleep for five years and wake up, and you still won't have half the playoff wins we've accumulated,” Dray said .
“Who needs help here? Because clearly, you know, you ever have somebody like, ‘Hey, who’s going to tell him? Who’s going to tell him that was just stupid?’ You set yourself up for failure because it’s a guaranteed proven fact that you’re going to lose,” the four-time NBA champ added.
Nurk didn’t help his case in the Suns’ brief playoff run, where they got swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The center was a virtual non-factor, averaging only 7.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
An ongoing rivalry
Dray and Nurk have crossed paths numerous times, dating back to the latter’s days playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. However, their bickering intensified late last year when Green swung his arm and hit Nurkic in the face during a game on December 12. After that incident, the fiery forward was handed an indefinite suspension, while Nurk poured gas on the fire by saying the Dubs forward needed professional help.
According to Dray, the Suns' center posting such things says a lot about his character and tells the story of who he is: a hater.
“So, to me, when you’re just sitting at home watching like ‘That’s all folks,’ like bro, by the way, we’re the 10 seed, my man. Think about that. You’re sitting at home tweeting the ten seed is done. Brother, we were actually supposed to lose. We barely skated into the play-in,” Dray added.
With the Dubs and Suns already out of contention, these two players must wait a while to get on the court. However, when that happens, it is sure to be a heated matchup fueled by history and ongoing animosity.
Related: Draymond Green on the possibility of teaming up with LeBron James: "Unless Bron comes to Golden State, I don't really see that happening"
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