DRAYMOND GREEN: A WARRIOR ON A MISSION

By Harry Fessel, ProSource Website Editor / Senior Writer | Thursday, October 20, 2016 11:39:40 AM America/New_York

The Warriors’ Ultimate Weapon
On His Gold Medal, Training, and
His Quest for a Second NBA Title

A ProSource Exclusive Interview
With NBA All-Star Draymond Green

Draymond Green will not take “no” for an answer.

He wouldn’t take “no” when he slipped to the second round in the 2012 NBA Draft (and yes, he does remember the names of every player drafted before him). He wouldn’t take “no” when he was a back-up for most of his first two seasons with the Golden State Warriors. And he certainly won’t take “no” for an answer as a reigning NBA All-Star, shutting down opponents who are often half a foot taller than him, while making his presence felt as a potent offensive force.

Draymond Green does it all. On the court, he’s a six-foot-six-inch turbocharged Tasmanian devil in a field of loping giraffes, using his otherworldly combination of wingspan, leverage, and physicality to dominate acres of floor space on both ends of the court. Where opponents will be tempted to coast and conserve energy at times, Draymond Green is all motor, all the time, wearing down opposing players through sheer force of will.

That kind of stamina and muscularity are the hallmarks of a true workout warrior. The gym is a big part of every athlete’s world, but Draymond Green’s two-or-three-workouts-per-day regimen is in a realm of its own. He has never believed that size equals superiority, and he turns that belief into reality with high-impact training protocols that make him stronger, quicker, and more powerful than his opponent.

That dedication to performance and physique carries over to Draymond’s high dietary and supplementation standards, as well. Toward that end, he has partnered with actor/fitness enthusiast Mark Wahlberg in founding a new line of sports nutrition supplements, Performance Inspired, based on the philosophy of using 100% natural ingredients derived from the highest-quality sources to formulate super-premium products. Mark and Draymond are also expanding their charitable efforts by donating a portion of the profits from the new Performance Inspired line to their favorite causes.

The Warriors, the Cavs, and
Some Unfinished Business

There is one area of Draymond Green’s life where “no” was the answer and it occurred last June on the Warriors’ home floor as LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrated an astounding comeback from a 3-to-1 deficit to take the deciding Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. That is a setback that Draymond and his teammates are determined to redress this year, as superstar Kevin Durant has joined a Warriors’ Fantastic Four (consisting of Green, Durant, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson) that will settle for nothing less than an NBA Championship in 2017.

Draymond Green is on a mission this year. But he took a few minutes off from his quest to sit down with ProSource and talk gold medals, training, and sky-high expectations.

ProSource: Hey, Draymond! Thanks for joining us. First of all, congratulations on your gold medal, won as part of the victorious US men’s basketball team in the Rio Olympics. How was your experience, representing the USA on the world stage? What memories stand out for you?

Draymond Green: First off, thank you! My experience representing the United States of America on the world stage was incredible. It was a dream come true for me and I still can’t believe that I’m an Olympic Gold Medalist. The memories that stand out most are the time that I spent with my teammates, supporting other American athletes on their quests to make history and most importantly, hearing our national anthem while standing on the medal stand.

ProSource: The Warriors clearly have a little unfinished business after last season’s end. You campaigned loudly and at length for the addition of Kevin Durant this year, and now he’s a Warrior. Can anyone beat the Warriors this year? How are you and your teammates dealing with the incredible day-to-day media hype and sky-high expectations for the Warriors?

Draymond Green: The addition of Kevin Durant will make us a better team, but it’s always a process to get the team on the same page with our game plan every night. As far as the media goes, our own expectations are higher than anyone else’s, so we’ll just have to play basketball, do the best we can and enjoy the experience.

ProSource: You are the NBA’s ultimate hybrid player, a 6-foot-six-inch player who can defend all five positions. What is it about your game, your mental approach and your physicality, that enables you to go up against the biggest players in the game, and impose your will on them?

Draymond Green: I don’t believe that being bigger automatically makes someone better. My heart and my will to win enable me to go toe-to-toe on the court with anyone.

ProSource: NBA Training camps are coming to an end. What kind of training do you do in the off-season to ensure you arrive at camp in game-day shape? Can you give us a sense of your off-season training regimen?

Draymond Green: This off-season was a little different because of the Olympics, but generally I work out two-to-three-times per day every day over the summer and focus on a few things I want to improve on.

ProSource: Can we talk more specifically about your diet and supplementation? Do you have a dietary philosophy? What kind of supplements do you take?

Draymond Green: I’m excited to be part of creating a trustworthy and honest line of sports nutrition with Mark Wahlberg and the amazing Performance Inspired team. Mark and I are always talking about staying in our best shape, top ways to recover and making sure we’re taking great supplements without artificial ingredients. We’ve combined the best talent with awesome products to create a line I’m confident in using myself. My favorites right now are our Explosive Pre-Workout and Ripped Whey Protein supplements for energy.

ProSource: How did you meet Mark Wahlberg? Would you say Mark and you share a similar approach to fitness and exercise? How so?

Draymond Green: I met Mark through another Performance Inspired partner and we hit it off right away. I’m excited to be part of creating a brand of organic products that myself and other professional athletes can take to help become better athletes. I think Mark and I share a similar approach to staying in shape, which simply is working harder than anyone else.

ProSource: How much input have you had into the formulation of Performance Inspired (PI) supplements? How do the individual products reflect your own philosophy of attaining and maintaining health, wellness, improved physique, and peak performance?

Draymond Green: Everyone at Performance Inspired wants the best possible products without unnecessary ingredients. We are maximizing the tremendous resources we have to continue growing the line with clean, all natural formulas. I’m excited to work with a brand that keeps it real with great formulas and honest marketing.

ProSource: You were present when your friend and mentor Coach Tom Izzo was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame recently. Can you talk a little bit about what his teaching meant to you? How has Tom Izzo’s example shaped your own interactions with young basketball players looking to follow in your footsteps?

Draymond Green: Coach Izzo’s teaching helped me become a better player but more importantly, he helped me become a better man. He taught me the importance of hard work and gave me the tools to prepare for the next level of basketball. I’m excited now to be able to pass that knowledge along to younger basketball players.

ProSource: Here at ProSource, our gym-rat readers always want us to ask some very specific questions of the athletes and celebrities we interview. Here are the questions: How much weight can you bench-press these days? What’s your one-rep max? How about your squat?

Draymond Green: As a basketball player, repetition is more important than heavy weight. So while it’s important to stay strong, I’ve never maxed out on a bench press or in squats.

ProSource: Okay, one last question. We know Mark Wahlberg plays a lot of basketball. It’s his favorite way to get in his cardio. Have you played him? If so, how would you rate Mark’s game?

Draymond Green: I haven’t had the chance to play basketball against Mark, but I’m definitely looking forward to it.

ProSource: All right Draymond, thanks for sharing with our ProSource readers, and good luck to you and your Warriors teammates in the 2016-17 NBA season

The articles featured herein are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Specific medical advice should only be obtained from a licensed health care professional. No liability is assumed by ProSource for any information herein.