Green says he made recruiting pitch to LeBron James

ISLAMABAD: Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said he used time spent recently with LeBron James to press the case for the NBA star to consider joining Golden State next season.

Green discussed the conversation on his podcast on Sunday as speculation continues over James’s next move after the 41-year-old announced he will leave the Los Angeles Lakers. James is a four-time NBA champion and four-time Most Valuable Player, and several teams are being viewed as possible destinations for him.

Green said he felt he had to raise the matter directly with James while they were together. He said:

I'd be remiss if I don't take the opportunity to throw my pitch in there.

Green added:

I'd be crazy if we're together for x amount of days and at no point am I like 'Yo, we need to chop it up. What the hell going on? What we doing?'

He also said:

Of course I did that and of course the pitch was crazy. Does it change anything? Does it make anything happen? I don't know. I hope so.

Much of the discussion around a possible move to the Warriors has focused on James’s long-standing friendship with Stephen Curry and the prospect of playing under coach Steve Kerr. Curry and Kerr were both with James on the 2024 USA team that won Olympic gold in Paris.

Green, who is 36 and has won four NBA titles, was also part of the US teams that claimed Olympic gold in Rio and Tokyo. He said he does not believe James has decided on his future club, but suggested his pitch may have prompted further thought about Golden State.

Speaking on the podcast, Green said:

With the things I shared in it, it's definitely going to make the brain work a little bit.

He continued:

I don't think there's a decision that has been made but if there was, it will make you think twice about it.

Other teams linked with James include the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, both former clubs where he won NBA titles, as well as the Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves.