SAN FRANCISCO – Very few athletes have objectively addressed the ongoing bloodshed between Israel and Palestine, but Draymond Green wasted no time Sunday and showed no fear in speaking out.
For what?
“It’s important because so many people are silent on this,” Green said. “A lot of people stay silent because they don’t want to get involved in politics. Many people stay silent because they don’t want to get into trouble – whatever that means.
“And believe it or not, a lot of people are staying silent because there’s not a lot of compassion left in this country. I am a black man. I know what it feels like to get fucked. So, I sympathize with them.
Green’s playing status for Warriors-Suns clash opening night is in question, but he was passionate about the most palpable global crisis of the moment. He also seemed sincere in his concern about the thousands of lives already lost and deaths to come in and around Gaza.
“I just send my heart out to everyone involved – to the Palestinians and the Israelis,” he said. “People are dying every day. So, I send them my heart.
The even-handedness of Green’s remarks implies that he has evolved – and, perhaps, become more informed – since 2018, when he posed, smiling, for a photo while holding a rifle during a trip to Israel organized by the Israel Defense Forces.
Many were tuned into the conflict raging at the time and already found the photo offensive and viewed Green’s visit with then-Israeli President Reuven Rivlin as a form of pro-Israel propaganda.
On that day, in this time of continuing tragedy, it was clear that there was a personal element to Green’s decision to speak out. One of his closest friends, he says, is Jewish and “terrified” as the bodies keep piling up.
“I know how it feels,” Green said. “I grew up in Saginaw, Michigan. You don’t really know if you’re going to (come) home when you leave that day. Yeah, the hope is to come home. But so much changes throughout the day in the neighborhoods we grew up in.
“So I know that feeling. This fear. I feel that. I am also part of a marginalized race and culture. That’s why I felt the need to say something.
Green was clearly drawn to discuss the topic, as he introduced it before answering further questions.
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