Draymond Green is the Warriors’ Marshawn Lynch
Draymond Green‘s five-year contract for $82 million certainly helps him live up to the “Money Green” nickname. After Green helped the Golden State Warriors win the 2015 NBA Finals, it seemed like he would listen to offers from other teams. It was certainly a tense period of time for Warriors’ fans because Green is the heart of this team.
Thankfully, the Warriors respected Green’s value, and they offered him a huge contract. With the contract, Green will have a great opportunity to cement himself among the all-time favorite Bay Area athletes.
Green’s contributions to this Warriors team are simply unmatched. He plays with a fire and passion that certainly makes up for his lack of perfect fundamentals. While Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson splashed the threes, Green was the team’s defensive anchor who made the big stops and shots in clutch situations. Draymond really should have been awarded the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.
It was an absolute joy to watch Draymond Green in the championship parade and on stage for the rally. His energy is utterly infectious. Green’s backstage interviews even made the Lake Merritt crowd erupt into cheer.
Once again, Green asserted during the rally why he is now a fan-favorite Warrior. He was the only player who took the microphone off the podium during a speech to walk around the stage. There was a little scare for a moment when it seemed like he was getting close to tripping over the edge. However, it was thrilling to watch Green show his love to Warriors nation in person.
Aside from Green’s antics, perhaps the greatest surprise of the rally was the appearance of Marshawn Lynch. The running back of the Seattle Seahawks had a place on Green’s parade float, and Lynch even got some camera time for the crowd before the rally.
As you may know, Lynch is from Oakland. He spends much of his time off from football in the Bay Area, and he clearly has a strong attachment to Oakland. People could even see this during his famous Super Bowl press interviews in which he chose to talk as little as he possibly could. However, his interest in the interview seemed to peak when one reporter talked to him about Oakland.
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The point here is that Marshawn Lynch seems to be friends with another rising Bay Area icon. In a number of ways, the pairing of Lynch and Green is a perfect match. Even though I’m a Bay Area sports fan, Marshawn Lynch is one of my favorite and most respected NFL players. Lynch is truly the heartbeat of the Seahawks, and his Beast Mode style is absolutely incredible to watch.
My guess is that Lynch is a strong, positive influence on Green’s career and character. Both of them are highly outspoken characters, and they are polarizing to some people. With that, both Green and Lynch have worked harder than most others to earn the respect and accolades they possess. Therefore, Lynch may have helped Green assert that he deserved a huge contract. If the Bay Area can’t have Lynch on a local sports team, the next best option is definitely Draymond Green.
It’s obvious that these two players are in difference sports, but their similarities are striking. Lynch has perfected his craft as an athlete better than Green, but they both play with an energy that fuels their teams. Because of that, Draymond Green is the Marshawn Lynch of the Golden State Warriors.
The main events that sparked my interest in the connection of Lynch and Green happened during the Warriors’ rally. The San Jose Mercury News reported that Lynch stepped in during an interview of Draymond’s mother, Mary Babers-Green. After she talked about advice she gave to Draymond, Lynch stepped into the camera’s view and said “can I have a hug.”
Following that, Marshawn shared with Mary Babers-Green that his own mother gave him similar advise. Lynch said:
"“It sounds like exactly what my momma told me when I was just a little jitterbug growing up. Knowing Draymond for as long as I have, I can see exactly why we connected.”"
The live crowd watching this in Oakland was ecstatic the entire time. Once Lynch said that he sees some Oakland in Green, you can guess how the crowd of die-hard Warriors fans reacted.