Draymond Green Rants About His Distaste for Thunder's Postgame Interview Tradition

The Warriors star brought up one reservation he has about Oklahoma City's championship chances this season.
Chet Holmgren and the Thunder are interviewed by Nick Gallo after a playoff win over the Mavericks in May.
Chet Holmgren and the Thunder are interviewed by Nick Gallo after a playoff win over the Mavericks in May. / Zach Beeker / NBAE via Getty Images

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green knows a thing or two about winning an NBA title. He's got four championship rings to show for it.

While Green admitted he believes the up-and-coming Oklahoma City Thunder's time to chase rings is now, he also pointed out one thing that could be holding them back.

"The one thing I see from the OKC team that is a little alarming for me is their postgames. Seven guys in the interview," Green said on a recent episode of his podcast. "There's a certain seriousness that it takes to win in this league. And there's a certain fear you have to instill in teams in order to win. I just don't know if they're instilling fear in teams with all the bromance and stuff after the game.

"That's cool. There's a time and a place for that. But every time someone's in an interview you got seven, eight guys [in the background]? ... I'm all for having fun; it's an 82-game season, you should have fun. But you also have to understand that people are looking for you to be the team."

Back in January, the Thunder began a trend of crashing teammates' postgame interviews on television and gathering around the reporter, who was often Nick Gallo of the local Bally Sports Oklahoma broadcast. The players would also occasionally bark during the interview or make jokes to one another as the cameras rolled.

It became a nightly tradition for the Thunder, who cruised through the 2023-24 season with the league's second-youngest roster and claimed the No. 1 playoff seed in the Western Conference.

The Thunder brought their interview routine back for the 2024-25 season—but Green clearly isn't a fan.

Green and the Warriors will suit up against the Thunder for the first time this season Nov. 10 at Paycom Center. If Oklahoma City wins, perhaps they'll send out a few extra players to the postgame interview just to rub it in.


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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.