Draymond admits he ‘hated' LeBron before building close relationship originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Even as longtime NBA rivals, Draymond Green and LeBron James have become the best of friends over the years — but it wasn’t always that way.

Not even close.

The Warriors forward made a recent appearance on the “Brownie and Rab Show,” where he spoke about how his relationship with the Los Angeles Lakers superstar blossomed into what it is today.

“Hell no. I hated Bron,” Green said of his early relationship with James. “We didn’t have no relationship at all. I had a relationship with [Maverick Carter] and Rich [Paul], I was really tight with [them]. 2017 All-Star [Weekend] was in New Orleans. Bron had a plane going to Anguilla. Mav, Rich, everyone was going. I hadn’t decided where I was going after that All-Star Game, so earlier that day I asked Mav, ‘Mav, where you going after the All-Star Game?’ He’s like we’re going to Anguilla. I’m like can I go? He’s like yeah you can go. I’m like you sure? He’s like yeah let me make sure there’s space on the plane.

“I don’t know if there was no space on the plane or not but I think Bron probably said I ain’t flying on that plane. He gets an entirely different plane so I can fly with them. We had two houses on Four Seasons right next to each other. I also don’t think there was two houses there before. You know why I think Mav got a whole other house? Because I think Bron said that [expletive] ain’t staying in my house.”

Draymond says he hated LeBron at first and that they had ‘no relationship at all’:

“I realized, ‘Dang, bro really just like me. He use the same lingo I use, he’s from a place just like me' and we started to build from there, but it started off hectic.”

(via Bars_podcast / IG) pic.twitter.com/Cbb54BXyvQ

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 11, 2025

Separate planes. Separate houses.

Not for long, though.

Green and James saw a lot of each other on the court, too, during those thrilling Warriors vs. Cavaliers NBA Finals matchups during James’ time with Cleveland.

Those rivalries weren’t friendly, but years later, all is forgiven.

“Bron used to be like, ‘Man, why you guys dealing with this dude?’ So just me being around Rich and Mav, me and Bron naturally ended up being around each other more. And then we started to build a relationship because I realized dang, bro is really just like me. He uses the same lingo I use. He’s from a place just like me. And we started to build from there. But it started off hectic.”

Things could return to that hectic feeling if James’ Lakers meet up with Green’s Warriors in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, which would be the case if Golden State defeats the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Celtics converting JD Davison to two-year NBA contract, per agent originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The G League MVP is getting his NBA call-up.

The Boston Celtics are converting the JD Davison’s two-way contract to a standard, two-year NBA contract, Davison’s agent told ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Davison, Drew Peterson and Miles Norris all were on two-way contracts with Boston, which had an open roster spot ahead of Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Charlotte Hornets. Converting Davison to an NBA contract fills the Celtics’ final roster spot and allows the 22-year-old guard to join Boston for its 2025 playoff run.

The Celtics made a similar move with Neemias Queta near the end of last season, converting the big man’s two-way contract to a two-year deal. Queta has appeared in 61 games this season, and Davison will have a similar opportunity to make an impact off the bench for the C’s during the 2025-26 campaign.

Davison averaged 25.1 points, 7.6 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game with the Maine Celtics during a dominant season that earned him G League MVP honors. He also participated in the Rising Stars game at NBA All-Star Weekend, helping the G League squad advance to the finals of the mini-tournament.

Davison has appeared in 15 games for Boston’s NBA club this season, averaging 5.1 minutes per contest. He’s seen action in two straight games for the C’s, however, scoring a combined two points on 1 of 7 shooting in 18 total minutes.

Warriors' Buddy Hield Experience a historic ride unlike any other originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The ballad of Buddy Hield has produced smiles, laughs, celebrations and moments of pure confusion throughout his first year in a Warriors jersey, leading to more history made by the 3-point specialist on the second-to-last game of the 2024-25 NBA regular season Friday night in Golden State’s blowout road win against the Portland Trail Blazers. 

There have been stretches of perfect jazz in unison, and instances of wind strings snapping in your eardrums. 

Earlier this week, Hield went viral for a funny exchange with coach Steve Kerr during the Warriors’ dominant win in Phoenix where Kerr jokingly introduced him to Steph Curry, “the greatest shooter in the world,” who was “wide open” but clearly not in Hield’s view. 

He’s one of Kerr’s favorite players. Ask him about Hield and you’ll get a joyous laugh. You’ll also get some instances of him likely wanting to break a clipboard, and not because of stretches where his shot went ice-cold. 

The next day when the Warriors returned home to play the San Antonio Spurs, Hield further explained the clip to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke after his pregame shooting routine. 

“You know, the NBA didn’t play the whole video,” Hield said. “I was like, I got a strap on me too, Steve. I can shoot, too. But I think Steph was wide-open late and I didn’t see him wide-open late, so you got to pass Steph the ball. It was a funny interaction with us.”

That strap was unleashed Friday night at Moda Center while the rest of the Warriors mostly brought blanks to the arena. The Warriors missed their first five 3-point attempts before Moses Moody broke the streak with six-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first quarter. Hield didn’t connect on his first two tries, but the third time was the charm and unlocked his historically consistent rangefinder from long distance. 

Hield came into the day with 197 threes on the season, eyeing that 200 mark with only two games left in the regular season. After watching one three go through the net in the first quarter, two others followed in the final minute and a half – first to give the Warriors a one-point lead and then to extend it to four points the next possession. 

His third 3-pointer of the first quarter gave Hield 200 threes on the season, making him only the fifth player in NBA history to have seven seasons with at least 200 3-pointers, joining Curry, Klay Thompson, James Harden and Damian Lillard. That’s two NBA MVPs and four future Hall of Famers Hield now finds himself associated within the realms of shooting royalty. 

Additionally, Hield now has done so in seven straight seasons, starting back in 2018-19 when he was then on the Sacramento Kings. 

Buddy knocks down his 200th 3-pointer of the season 👌 pic.twitter.com/1lY4n6QYaD

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 12, 2025

Joining Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike at halftime, Hield thanked Fitz five straight times for celebrating the achievement and went into detail about his quick release. The historic 200th three was the Warriors’ offense to a tee. Hield curled off a Kevon Looney screen, caught Jimmy Butler’s pass at the top of the arc and immediately was in his shooting motion. 

“Just finding your spots and finding your rhythm,” Hield said. “When you see an opening, just get it off quick. My teammates find me in the right spots.”

Hield hasn’t been shy in saying if it weren’t for Curry, he probably wouldn’t have been picked sixth overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. As Hield was lighting it up behind the 3-point line at Oklahoma, Curry was changing the way basketball will forever be seen and played. Hield made 240 threes with a 41.3 3-point percentage in his final two years of college, the same seasons in which Curry won back-to-back MVPs. 

“I modeled my game behind the 3-point line, just trying to be as consistent as I can,” Hield said to Tim Roye on Warriors Radio after the win. “Being around Steph and watching Klay, he’s a Bahamian brother of mine, to be one of the top gunners in the league is special. Hopefully, I can do it for a few more years.”

The Warriors’ offense had little rhythm and flow, despite what the final score displayed Friday night. They shot 31.8 percent from three on a night where 44 of their 83 shot attempts were 3-pointers. Hield only made one of his next seven 3-point attempts after draining his first three. But his 16 points led the Warriors’ bench, and Hield’s four threes were a game-high for both sides. 

When the Warriors looked like the league’s best again to begin the season, Hield had the hot hand, averaging 16.2 points with a 44.2 3-point percentage in Golden State’s 12-3 start. From the first game in December through the first game in February – a 30-game stretch – Hield only averaged 9.1 points and was 59 of 192 on threes, a lowly 30.7 percent. The Warriors went 13-17 in those games.

They’re now 18-6 when he makes at least four threes. They 14-2 in the 16 games Hield has scored 18 or more points, and 20-18 in the games he has failed to score 10 or more points. He’s Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, a mystery on most nights. He can ignite the Warriors’ wick on offense or blow out the flame from cold shooting or confounding decisions. 

Whether the Warriors win or lose, Hield’s voice will be heard in the locker room. It’s impossible to miss. He and Butler constantly trade barbs with one another and there’s bound to be laughs following Hield, one way or the other. 

“Buddy’s been incredible,” Draymond Green said to Fitzgerald and Azubuike after the win. “Obviously, we all know what he does on the court. But even off the court is bigger. The energy that he brings on a daily basis. He’s always upbeat. Brings a good vibe. Brings a good vibe to the gym, good vibe to the plane, good vibe to the hotel. Wherever we’re at, he’s always bringing a good vibe to it. Just an incredible teammate. Actually one of my favorite teammates.”

Draymond then looked off-camera to his left, catching Hield doing who knows what. 

“Look at him,” Green continued, laughing. “One of my favorite teammates I’ve ever had, and yet, he will get on your last nerve every day.”

The Buddy Hield Experience has been a ride unlike any other this season. His energy is always invited, and the Warriors have shown they believe his historic 3-point shot can help drive them down the right road. 

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

What an amazing performance by Luka Doncic against his former Dallas team. The pregame video montage was compelling to the point it brought Luka to tears. He is a true competitor and superstar.

Having now watched him extensively with the Lakers, I think the one thing that would raise Luka to even greater heights is for him to stop arguing with the refs after almost every call. As we saw in the Thunder game, it leads to technical fouls and ejections (even if unwarranted). And while he’s at it, he should stop jawing with fans from the other team, nothing good will come of it.

Dave Ring
Manhattan Beach

The Lakers beat Dallas 112-97, with Luka Doncic scoring 45 points and Anthony Davis scoring 13. I guess we know who got the best of that trade.

Vaughn Hardenberg
Westwood

B-I-N-G-O

As the NBA regular season comes to an end this weekend, consider whether you had any of these on your bingo card when the regular season began:

B: The Lakers and Clippers would each win at least 48 games (and perhaps 50).
I: The Pistons would more than triple their win total over the previous season.
N: Nuggets coach Michael Malone would be fired with three games remaining.
G: The Cavaliers would win more regular-season games than the Celtics.
O: Laker Luka Doncic would outscore Maverick Anthony Davis 45-13 in Luka's return to Dallas.

To paraphrase Bob Costas, "Look, it's a wacky business."

Ken Feldman
Tarzana

Reversing course

Kudos to Bill Plaschke for admitting he was dead wrong about Bronny James. And, even more kudos to LeBron and Bronny for both being shining examples of what it means to be a pro, representing your team, your family and your city in such an admirable and stand-up way.

In this era of supremely spoiled, entitled and delusional athletes, they have been humble, hard-working, levelheaded exemplars of everything that make sports great. And, to all the crazy Lakers "fans" who will never accept LeBron as a true Laker, like Plaschke, think again.

William David Stone
Beverly Hills

Bill Plaschke admitted he was wrong when he declared that the Lakers brought the circus to town by drafting Bronny James, who has refuted Plaschke’s harsh characterization by his professionalism, indomitable drive and Herculean work ethic, driving himself to become a quality G League player in his rookie year.

Bronny seized upon the opportunity manipulated by his father LeBron James. He’s stacked 20-point games in the G League, punctuated by a 39-point explosion while shooting better than 60% from the field, proving he’s not just a so-called nepo baby.

Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu wrote, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” Bronny hasn’t taken a halting or hobbling step yet. If he continues his improvement he’ll build a substantial NBA career.

Marc D. Greenwood
Opelika, Ala.

Dodgers dilemma

Is there any connection between the fact that the Dodgers pitching coach had an injury-riddled career and the Dodgers pitching staff being constantly on the IL? Or do they need a whole new training staff? The Dodgers brass has to be asking similar questions.

R.D. McCall
Fallbrook

I remember clearly when Tyler Glasnow came to the Dodgers, my grandson said, “He’ll spend more time on the IL than the mound.“

Terry Snyder
Los Angeles

This will probably change by Sunday, but as I write this on Wednesday, the Dodgers are in third place in their four-team division and the Angels have a better record. Who'd have thought?

Jack Wishard
Los Angeles

Sports ecstasy

How to describe the feeling when my 7-year-old grandson lashes one up the middle and legs it into a triple, and me getting high-fives from the other granddads? How to describe the unbridled joy on Mookie Betts' face as he hops, skips and jumps around the bases after hitting a walk-off blast into the seats, getting a standing ovation from 50,000 of his closest friends, who high-five all around? From Little League to the big leagues, they bring us to our feet. The late, great Jim Murray called them "moments of athletic ecstasy." Oh, yes!

Tim Piatt
Thousand Oaks

Deal or no deal

I agree that the transfer portal is ruining collegiate sports and is in need of a fix. College athletes are no longer amateurs but professionals. Therefore, I suggest they be treated like the pros they are. In the future when they sign a letter of intent it should be in the form of a contract that would bind them to their school of choice for a certain number of years. It would also include the amount of NIL money they would receive.

Robert Speights
San Diego

The NCAA has absolutely ruined college sports as we know it. After hearing UConn coach Dan Hurley state that he has to recruit the players on his own team, that settled it for me. I am done with college sports until they make these kids sign contracts. It's impossible to build a team when these kids are allowed to change schools each year. It's a total joke. If they take the NIL money and accept the scholarship, make them sign a two-year or three-year deal. The only way to change that is if the coach leaves or if they turn professional.

Geno Apicella
Placentia

Truly great one

Wayne Gretzky had more than 1,700 assists along with his 894 goals. While Alex Ovechkin’s new goals record is a great accomplishment, Gretzky played a 200-foot game including defense. Over the past eight years most of what I see from Ovechkin is him lurking in the circle and making a shot. Honestly the two really don’t compare.

Michael Krubiner
Los Angeles

Now that's special

I read the story this week about trying to name the Kings' first line of Anze Kopitar, Adrian Kempe, and Andrei Kuzmenko. Ever since the latter was acquired, my friends and I who attend, watch and listen started calling them the “Special K” line. Seems so obvious.

Can we please beat Edmonton in the playoffs? Now THAT would be special!

Pete Arbogast
Venice Beach

The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used.

Email: sports@latimes.com

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Why rediscovering beautiful offense is priority No. 1 for Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors’ postseason ride begins Sunday down a certifiably bumpy road under adverse conditions, Stephen Curry and his achy shooting hand leading them in against a Los Angeles Clippers squad that has owned them this season and now is greatly enhanced.

Which is as it should be. The first 48 minutes of a high-stakes journey tends to expose a team’s heart and mind, and the Warriors need plenty of both to get where they want to go.

“Good teams find a way to win big games,” Curry told reporters in Portland on Friday after a 103-86 win over the Trail Blazers.  “That’s what we’re aiming to be.”

It begins with Curry and the offense. The formidable attributes of Jimmy Butler III notwithstanding, Curry is the shepherd of this flock. Golden State’s offense at its best makes defenses dizzy with artful passing and improvised motion that generate open shots. Coach Steve Kerr, with an assist from former assistant Alvin Gentry, devised this “organized chaos” almost 11 years ago to take advantage of Curry’s gravity as well as his spectacular shooting.

When the Warriors operate as designed, it’s beautiful. They are harder to defend than a lie to your mother. When they don’t, they become, well, what they’ve too often been over recent weeks. A team that needs superb defense to offset merely satisfactory offense.

“We could be a lot better (offensively),” Draymond Green conceded to reporters in Portland on Friday. “It’s been too up-and-down as of late, the ball sticking a bit, not moving enough. But defensively, I think we’ve been pretty good for the most part for the most part.”

Curry offered zero disagreement.

“Defensively we’ve been a very consistent team, and our numbers show it,” he said. “Offensively, we’ve been kind of hit or miss.”

Solid defense and average offense likely won’t be enough to conquer the Clippers on Sunday and it surely won’t be enough to provide an extended stay on the NBA playoff calendar. The Warriors are sixth in defensive rating and 15th in offensive rating.

Golden State is seventh in offensive rating since the All-Star break but only 15th over its last 15 games. The defense is third over that span. More telling is that the Warriors have topped their standard of 30 assists only twice since in those 15 games. They’ve recorded 25 or fewer assists four times during that span and failed to reach 100 points three times.

“There’s no rhythm,” Green said. “If the ball is sticking and it’s not moving when it’s supposed to move, you’re not getting the ball when you’re supposed to get the ball. It throws off the rhythm and timing of the game.”

Brandin Podziemski, the second-year guard who has evolved into a primary ballhandler, averaged 3.5 assists over the last 15 games. Fourth-year forward Mose Moody, who handles the ball less frequently, averaging 1.9 per game. Butler averaged 5.9 assists and Green 4.9. Curry, who sometimes plays as much off the ball as much as on it, averaged 5.5. 

Rarely does a game go by that the Warriors don’t commit at least one shot-clock turnover. Those tend to be a direct result of the ball sticking instead of moving. Podziemski, a less-than-ideal isolation player, occasionally has lapses of overdribbling. Butler sometimes holds the ball waiting for a cutter that doesn’t always come. Curry fights a tendency to telegraph risky passes. Green sometimes overpasses or fails to realize that most of his teammates are slow to recognize what he sees.

The result is an offense that stalls nearly as often as it percolates.

“The game’s got to flow,” Kerr said. “We have to pass the ball better. We have to get spaced better. We have to develop a rhythm. We were in a better place, I think, a few weeks ago. We were playing with more rhythm, more flow, more two-way connection. We have to get back to that. The last couple weeks have been a little choppy.

In the 11 games beginning with the March 22 loss to the Hawks in Atlanta, the Warriors are 15th in offensive rating and seventh among teams in the West. They are sixth in defensive rating, third in the West. This is not championship stuff. It’s not the stuff of a deep playoff run.

It’s not exactly crushing it down the stretch, either.

The Warriors won’t practice Saturday, but they’ll conduct a walk-through before the 12:30 p.m. tipoff against the Clippers. Can they fix their offense in a day?

Should the Warriors prevail, can they add polish during the six days before Game 1 of the first round?

“That’s what we need to figure out,” Green said. “Steve always says, just hit the first open man. If you see somebody open, hit him. And we’re not doing a great job of that right now. We’ve got to figure out why.”

Whether the Warriors land in the play-in tournament or avoid it and proceed directly to the playoffs, their postseason fate depends on it.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Nikola Jokic ensured he will become only the third player in NBA history to finish the season with a triple-double average as he starred in the Denver Nuggets' win against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Serb centre will average double digits for points, rebounds and assists after claiming his 34th triple-double of the season.

He scored 26 points, 12 assists and 26 rebounds in the Nuggets' 117-109 victory, which keeps them in a tie for fourth place in the Western Conference with one game of the regular season remaining.

Elsewhere, Luka Doncic scored 39 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers secure third place in the Western Conference with a 140-109 victory at home to the Houston Rockets.

Only two men had previously finished a regular season in the NBA with a triple-double average - Jokic's Denver team-mate Russell Westbrook, who did so three times with Oklahoma City and once with the Washington Wizards, and Oscar Robertson, who did it in the 1961-62 season for Cincinnati.

Jokic's 12 assists against the Grizzlies means he is guaranteed to finish the season with an assist average of more than 10 for the first time in his career.

He is also averaging in double digits for rebounds and needs 47 points in Denver's final game of the regular season to push his points average above 30, which would also be a career best.

The 30-year-old has already been named most valuable player (MVP) three times in the NBA's regular season, and is one of the top candidates again this year, along with Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

"If he doesn't win the MVP, it's the greatest season of all time not to win the MVP," said the Nuggets' interim coach David Adelman.

Jokic has 164 regular-season triple-doubles in his career, the second-highest tally in NBA history behind Westbrook's 203.

He will bid to extend that tally in Denver's final game of the regular season at home to the Houston Rockets on Sunday as the Nuggets aim to seal the fourth-place finish they need to earn home-court advantage in the play-offs.

Doncic stars for Lakers & James injury scare

The Lakers already know they will have home-court advantage in the play-offs after securing third place in the Western Conference with their victory against second seeds Houston.

It stretched their record for the season to 50 wins and 31 defeats.

Doncic continued his fine run of form, leading the way with 39 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while LeBron James added 14 points and eight assists.

James, who has been troubled by a groin injury, grimaced in pain in the third quarter and sat out the remainder of the game with tape on his left hip.

Elsewhere, the Golden State Warriors kept alive their hopes of a fourth-placed finish in the Western Conference with a 103-86 victory against the Portland Traliblazers that was powered by 24 points and seven assists from Jimmy Butler III.

The Warriors, who play their final game of the regular season at home to the Los Angeles Clippers, are in sixth place on 48 wins and 33 defeats, one win behind the Clippers and the Nuggets, who are tied for fourth.

Oklahoma City have already secured top spot in the Western Conference.