Warriors icon Draymond Green revealed his top-five list of the NBA’s all-time defenders on Wednesday and initially crowned himself the greatest.
“What you should understand about me is that I think I’m number one on that list,” Green declared on the latest edition of the “Draymond Green Show” podcast. “However, I think top five, to go in order, I’m really not a fan of those.”
Though Green shared his list, explaining that there is no order or science to it.
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SIGN UP HERE “But who I would regard as my top five defenders of all time? I definitely put myself in that list; Ben Wallace is on that list; in my opinion, Tony Allen is on that list; Tim Duncan is on that list. And the last one on that list? … My fifth would go to – who I did have the opportunity to see very young in my life, but more film around him – Hakeem Olajuwon.”
Green undoubtedly has a strong case for the top spot on his own stacked list.
The 13-year Golden State veteran has found his way onto nine All-Defensive teams and was the 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year and steals leader. Green has quarterbacked the Warriors’ defense to four NBA championships, too, and also is a four-time All-Star because of his two-way prowess during the franchise’s dynastic era.
Meanwhile, Wallace, Allen, Duncan and Olajuwon all were like Green as defenders, making his choices clearer. They were leaders who gave opposing offenses fits every time they laced ‘em up, just like Green still does to the game’s best scorers and facilitators today.
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Green mentioned two other NBA greats who come to mind when considering the game’s greatest defenders, but he mentioned they weren’t included in his list.
“Also, understand that I’m not including Wilt Chamberlain; I’m not including Bill Russell,” Green said. “I didn’t see them play. I have the utmost respect for those guys – the pioneers – the utmost respect. But I’d be lying to you if I’m like, ‘Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain.’ Like, I’d be just going off of stats, and I don’t love when people do that, because there’s an eye test, and I haven’t seen enough of their games to say that.
“So, understand I’m not excluding them – I was born in 1990, and that’s my only reason for not including them. Saying all of that … my top five in no particular order: myself, Tim Duncan, Ben Wallace, Hakeem and Tony Allen.”
Fair enough.
Green wasn’t alive to witness the greatness of Chamberlain and Russell. But he has been around to see Wallace, Allen, Duncan, Olajuwon and, of course, himself flourish on the defensive side of the court.