Warriors’ Draymond Green goes Grinch – ‘Playing on Christmas f***ing sucks’

Playing on Christmas Day isn’t the gift some might expect it to be, according to Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green.

The NBA veteran recently explained his perspective on the league’s holiday tradition on his podcast, the ‘Draymond Green Show’.

“To play on a day where everybody’s watching, it’s incredible,” Green said [h/t Awful Announcing’s Ben Axelrod]. “All of those things are great. But two things can be true at once: playing on Christmas Day also f—ing sucks. And the reason it sucks is, number one… it can affect your mood. Number two, we are human beings and just like everyone else, enjoy Christmas Day with their families — that kinda gets messed up for us. They’re in their homes or on vacation with their families, making memories, we don’t get that opportunity. So I hate when people are like, ‘Oh man, it’s an honor to play on Christmas Day. People should shut up.’ Like, no, you should shut up.”

The comments will surely get Green some attention, even though Green did say there are some “great” and “fun” things about them, considering Christmas Day games are among the NBA’s most popular traditions and Green is among the NBA’s most polarizing players.

Since 1947, the second year of the NBA, there has been at least one game played on Christmas Day. And due to a more recent tradition in which the defending champions play on the holiday, as well as their popularity, Green and the Warriors have played on Christmas regularly.

"Playing on Christmas Day also f*cking sucks. And the reason it sucks is, number one… it can affect your mood. Number two, we are human beings and, just like everyone else, enjoy Christmas Day with their families."

—Draymond Green

(via @DraymondShow)pic.twitter.com/CP2BFOQEi1

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 29, 2025

After facing the Los Angeles Clippers in both 2013 and 2014, Golden State played the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Since then, they have met the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets, and, most recently, the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas. In total, the Warriors have played 12 consecutive Christmas Day games, eight of which at home.

Green, 35, was drafted in 2012 by the Warriors, who coincidentally did not play on Christmas that year, and it remains the only year since 2019 that Golden State has not done so. Before Green’s arrival, the Warriors played the Portland Trail Blazers and Clippers in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Until then, they had not played on Christmas since 1984.

Despite his apparent desires, Green and the Warriors, who beat former teammate Klay Thompson last week, will almost certainly be playing come Dec. 25 next year, regardless of the circumstances.

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