Steve Kerr is again putting words to one of the NBA’s most durable and complicated partnerships: his long-running relationship with Draymond Green, a player he credits as extraordinary while acknowledging conduct he says went too far.
In an interview with The New Yorker cited by Fox News Digital, the Golden State Warriors coach said Green has done things he can “never forgive him for,” even as Kerr emphasized how much he remains committed to the veteran forward.
“There’s things he’s done that I can never forgive him for, and yet I will do anything for him,” Kerr told the outlet.
The comments are notable because Kerr and Green’s partnership has helped define the Warriors’ championship era. The two have won four NBA titles together, but their relationship has also included visible friction, heated confrontations and questions about whether Green’s intensity helps or hurts Golden State at critical moments.
A relationship built on standards and strain
Kerr described the dynamic as one that required him, particularly early in his tenure, to show the team that standards applied to everyone. He said he and Green had multiple major arguments each year during their first five seasons together, and that the coach’s job involved demanding certain behavior from the group.
Fox News Digital reported that the tension resurfaced in December 2025, when Green was seen directing an expletive at Kerr during a game against the Orlando Magic and was sent to the locker room. Kerr told The New Yorker that he and Green had reached a long period of understanding before a “major blowout” that season.
Still, Kerr’s criticism came alongside some of his strongest praise for Green’s basketball mind and impact. Green, listed at 6-foot-6, has built a career as one of the league’s most versatile defenders, earning nine All-Defensive team selections and winning the 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year award.
Kerr said Green is the best defender he has seen in the NBA, a remark he framed as significant because he played alongside Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman with the Chicago Bulls. Kerr credited Green’s ability to guard different positions and disrupt plays even when he is not the primary defender.
Future questions for Green and Kerr
The interview also touched on Green’s future beyond playing. Kerr said Green has the basketball intelligence to coach but questioned whether he has the patience, pointing to the same emotion and competitiveness that have often fueled both his success and his trouble.
Green’s next step with Golden State remains part of a broader Warriors uncertainty. Fox News Digital reported that Green has a player option for next season, while Kerr is weighing whether to continue as head coach. Kerr said the organization is expected to discuss its future vision in the coming weeks, and he has not said whether he will be part of it.
For now, Kerr’s remarks capture the unresolved tension around Green’s Warriors legacy: a foundational player whose edge helped build a dynasty, and whose volatility continues to test the limits of the coach who has stood with him longest.
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