Draymond Green, the outspoken Golden State Warriors forward, has expressed frustration over the NBA‘s tradition of playing games on Christmas Day, highlighting the personal strain it puts on players.
Since 1947, the NBA has scheduled at least one game on December 25. In recent years, defending champions are routinely featured, meaning the Warriors have appeared 12 consecutive times, eight of them at home.
Playing on Christmas Day isn’t the gift some might expect it to be, according to the basketballer himself.
“To play on a day where everybody’s watching, it’s incredible,” Green said on his show. “All of those things are great.
“But two things can be true at once: playing on Christmas Day also f**king sucks. And the reason it sucks is, number one… it can affect your mood.
“Number two, we are human beings and just like everyone else, enjoy Christmas Day with their families – that kinda gets messed up for us. So I hate when people are like, ‘Oh man, it’s an honor to play on Christmas Day. People should shut up.’
“Like, no, you should shut up.”
Draymond Green reveals who he thinks can win 2025/26 NBA Finals
Turning to the current season, Green shared his thoughts on title contenders. Initially, he listed the Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, and Warriors – but recent results have changed his assessment slightly.
Green removed the Clippers from his list after a 10-21 start as the team struggles out of the Intuit Dome in Southern California, and warned the Warriors are still in the mix – although not as a frontrunner.
“The Warriors, at 16-15, can’t say you’re a real contender… but our defense is top five in the NBA, and offense is starting to turn the corner,” Green said after a 120-107 win over the Brooklyn Nets. The team now stands at 17-16.
The Lakers remain fringe contenders in his books due to defensive issues, but he warned that if they solve those problems, then Luka Doni and LeBron James will be two tough players to stop at the Crypto.com Arena.
“The Lakers, they’re a fringe,” Green added. “If they can’t figure out the defensive end, you can’t contend.
“But, if they can figure out the defensive end, we know they have the offensive firepower. Right now, they’re on the fringe but not quite a real contender.”
While the San Antonio Spurs, at 23-9, have earned his respect after beating the defending Thunder three times, and in the Eastern Conference, Green praised the Detroit Pistons as strong contenders.
The New York Knicks are seen as solid but still fringe challengers, showing promise but not fully threatening the top teams in the East.
Despite his complaints about Christmas scheduling, Green remains focused on improving team performance, strengthening playoff chances, and positioning the Warriors for another shot at an NBA championship.
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