Draymond Green is one of the best defenders of his generation. He has been the heart and soul of the Warriors defense that helped Golden State capture four championships, and as the 2025-26 season begins, he has a significant personal milestone within reach.
If he joins one of the NBA All-Defensive teams, it will be the 10th selection of his career, an accomplishment that only five all-time greats achieved. The list of players with 10 All-Defensive team nods is Tim Duncan (15), Kobe Bryant (12), Kevin Garnett (12), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11) and Scottie Pippen (10) — Hall of Famer Bobby Jones would make it six players if you include ABA honors.
Joining that illustrious group became the main individual goal for Green in his 12th season in the NBA, as he told The Athletic’s Sam Amick that learning about that list late last season helped fuel his fire on the defensive end of the floor.
“You see a list like that, and that immediately becomes your ‘why,'” Green said. “It’s like, ‘Man, I need to give all that I f—ing can to be on that thing.’ When you look at a list like that and you say, ‘Man, I can be on that list.’ It’s captivating. If I’m honest, it consumes you.”You’re always looking to add these stamps. And I think for me personally, that’s one stamp that I would love to add, for no other reason than the little kid from Saginaw being able to one day look at that list and say, ‘Damn, my name is on the list with those guys.’ …So that’s a huge, huge, huge goal of mine.”
Green is already in special company after making his ninth All-Defensive team a season ago, as that tied him with the likes of Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Gary Payton and others. However, that 10th selection would truly put him in rare air, and for a player that’s accomplished so much in his career, finding those kinds of pursuits can be important in finding that motivation for the regular season grind.
The Warriors are off to a solid 5-3 start to the season, with a top-10 defense helmed by Green helping to lead the way. The best part for the Warriors about Green having this particular individual goal is that if he accomplishes it, the team will likely be closer to their goal of competing for a championship as well.
