Key Takeaways
- Draymond Green called Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg “the next face of the franchise” and picked him to win Rookie of the Year.
- Green praised Lendeborg for connecting with fans and signing autographs, telling him not to lose the quality because “that’s actually what Steph Curry would do.”
- The endorsement marks a sharp turn from the offseason, when Green accused the Michigan product of lying about whether Green had answered his text.
Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors speaks his mind, so it's never a surprise if he says a thing or two that grabs the attention of the press.
During the offseason, Green called out Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg for "lying" about their contact with each other, but he seems to have already turned a page on that matter.
Over the summer, Green talked about Lendeborg claiming that he had been welcomed by Stephen Curry to the Warriors but not Green.
"Yaxel's been f**king lying, it's the Michigan way," he said at the time. "This guy texted me, I text back within 30 seconds, this f**king guy goes in an interview and says 'oh man, Steph reached out, texted Draymond, still waiting on a response back', you f**king liar Yaxel."
The "Michigan" reference is because Lendeborg went to the University of Michigan, and Green famously attended Michigan State University. The two schools are rivals.
But on Green's podcast on Tuesday, called The Draymond Green Show, the defense star sang the praises of the Michigan product and called him the next face of the franchise.
"The Golden State Warriors has found the next face of the franchise," he said, referring to Lendeborg. "We're gonna talk Rookie of the Year next, that's my pick. We had open practice, we do the singing, this dude went up in the crowd and the fans loved it, they were going crazy."
He added, "We're all underneath the rim in the paint and Steve's going crazy like 'come on guys' and he's in the tunnel signing autographs and Steve has to go get him. I told him last night, I said 'Hey, everybody's gonna be joking, you're a rookie but don't lose that cause that's actually what Steph Curry would do.’"
