Draymond Green Talks 1st Matchup vs. Klay Thompson: ‘Going to Run Through His Chest’

Doric SamOctober 9, 2024

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

After leaving the Golden State Warriors to join the Dallas Mavericks in free agency this summer, Klay Thompson will not be treated kindly on the court by one of his former teammates.

Warriors forward Draymond Green told ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk that when they go up against the Mavs this season, he plans to treat Thompson the same way he treats other opponents with whom he shares a close personal relationship, such as Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.

“I’m going to run through his chest,” Green said. “Because I used to run through my older brother’s chest when we played. There’s always this public disdain over me and Bron’s brotherhood. I try to kill him [on the court] more than anybody. I take him out. And vice versa. That’s what it is. I’m more apt to run through his chest than Kyrie [Irving].”

Thompson will get his first taste of going up against his former team when the Mavs visit Chase Center to face the Warriors on Nov. 12. Star point guard Stephen Curry said he looks forward to the reception his longtime Splash Brother will receive from the home crowd, but he still shares a similar sentiment to Green.

“They’ll have the ceremony … and I’m going to be fully engaged and present and making sure you celebrate him the way he’s supposed to,” Curry told Youngmisuk. “And then after that, it’s war. That’s how we’re all built.”

Thompson, Green and Curry won four NBA championships together during their 12 years as teammates in Golden State. Unfortunately, Thompson didn’t get to leave the team on the best of terms, as he fell out of the rotation during the 2023-24 season and looked visibly frustrated at times throughout the year.

Still, Green maintains that the bond the three of them share is unbreakable and there was no animosity created by Thompson choosing to join a new team.

“It’s a happy divorce, if there’s a divorce,” Green said. “A lot of divorces are nasty. This ain’t one of them. I don’t even qualify it as a divorce. It’s just the next chapter in all of our lives. It’s an opportunity for me and Steph, see what we can do together.”