Draymond Green’s “new media” movement continues to fortify its mission statement of offering staunch support for NBA players while railing against the tactics of traditional journalists.
Early Tuesday morning, Green was watching an ESPN segment featuring SportsCenter anchor Zubin Mehenti and NBA reporter Nick Friedell as they discussed Kevin Durant’s future after requesting a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. During the segment, Mehenti said “He’s an emotional guy, anything can happen.”
Mehenti’s “emotional” label for Durant prompted Green to go display the ‘You can’t criticize us, only we can criticize you’ motive of his “new media” movement, intent on controlling the narrative.
“Just watched the anchor on Sportscenter with Nick [Friedell] discuss KD wanting a trade, and called him emotional,” Green wrote on Twitter. “Who are you to call someone emotional? What makes you comfortable? Talk BASKETBALL! Computers got y’all overly comfortable.”
While there’s an argument to be made that someone shouldn’t assume a player’s emotional state is factoring into their career decisions, Green’s case can easily get glossed over considering the source.
Two weeks ago, Green called Kendrick Perkins a racial slur on his podcast. He previously referred to Durant as a “b*tch” and mocked Rudy Gobert for crying over an All-Star snub. Green implores journalists to avoid critical analysis and hot takes, but he doesn’t refrain from engaging in the same “old media” tactics he claims to be better than.
Durant himself even admitted on First Take that an altercation with Green “definitely” factored into his decision to leave the Golden State Warriors and sign with the Brooklyn Nets in 2019. That doesn’t necessarily mean Durant is an “emotional guy,” but it certainly feels like an example of a person who was responding to their emotions.
[ESPN]
