Draymond Green vows to watch LeBron James break scoring record
LeBron James looks destined to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record.
The King needs just 1,403 more points to claim the scoring crown, and Draymond Green intends to watch history unfold no matter what
Speaking on "The Draymond Green Show," the Golden State forward revealed that he intends to be at the game where LeBron breaks the record, even if the Warriors are playing.
"Steve Kerr, I’m throwing this out there right now," Green said. "If LeBron James is passing the all-time scoring record and we have a game, I’m going to LeBron’s game to witness history."
Skip Bayless ridiculed Green for this statement Friday on "Undisputed," noting the lack of competitiveness and vitriol between players in today's NBA and how all-time greats like Michael Jordan would never consider skipping a game to watch another team play.
"This is incomprehensible to me because I'm a Jordan guy," Bayless said. "I'm saying, ‘What are you doing? What are you thinking? What kind of message are you sending to your own teammates? Do you really want to win?"'
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LeBron James is set to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all-time leading scorer during the first half of next season and Draymond Green said he will be in attendance. Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless react to Draymond’s quote.
Despite a bitter on-court rivalry and numerous matchups in the NBA Finals, Green and James have become business partners and good friends away from the game. The duo worked together on LeBron's "More Than a Vote" voting rights initiative and the two have been very complimentary of each other in the media.
Bayless contrasted this dynamic with the lack of cordiality that existed between players like Jordan and their opposition, even off the floor.
"He [Jordan] played for blood, maybe to a fault," Bayless said. "He hated his opponents, he was not close friends with anybody."
Bayless also took aim at Green's general attitude toward his Golden State teammates. After the Warriors surrendered an 11-point lead against the lowly Magic on Tuesday, the four-time All-Star impugned his team's toughness and mental fortitude.
Bayless found these comments in poor taste in conjunction with Green's admission to prioritizing LeBron's record over a hypothetical Warriors game.
"He [Green] says, ‘We’re playing soft, we're not physical, we're not this, we're not that,'" Bayless said. "But that same guy later says, ‘Oh, if there’s a game I have to miss to go see this [LeBron's record], I've got to go."
For Bayless, no event, not even the opportunity to see his beloved Beatles in concert, could come before doing his job, and he holds Green to the same standard.