With the 2024–2025 season nearing its conclusion, players and fans have started revisiting moments from the past. After all, these clips will keep them occupied until the new campaign begins in a few months. One that’s resurfaced is a dust-up between Draymond Green and Metta Sandiford-Artest, formerly—and more famously—known in the NBA community as Metta World Peace.
This was a scrap from a 2016 game, and although not a major incident, fans remember two of the sport’s most vicious defenders and instigators nearly coming to blows in Los Angeles.
The incident was nervy. Draymond and Metta, during a Warriors vs Lakers clash, were on each other. Dray—as he so often does—threw an elbow, which prompted Metta to immediately lock him up.
“Get off me,” said Green. “Don’t do that,” responded Peace. However, the moment ended as soon as it began.
The two basketball icons spoke about their ‘non-brawl’ during a recent episode of Green’s podcast after the clip resurfaced online. Well, Green had to address it because people were calling him scared. They should know better.
“Yeah, y’all taking this out of context. I wasn’t scared,” said the Warriors legend. “But here’s the beautiful part about this situation. I’m not scared, he ain’t scared. And in the NBA, as you know, when two people aren’t scared, that’s when you just move on.”
It was actually a funny way to address the situation, since both men knew neither of them was going to back down. So, they decided not to escalate things. Probably for the best—if that fight had started, it might still be going on to this day!
“I’m not scared of you, you’re not scared of me, with the utmost respect, we’re gonna move on and do our job,” added Green. Metta shook his head vehemently in agreement as both stars laughed about the non-incident.
And it’s nice that they can laugh about it now. Each man is known for his fiery temper, so the near-fight felt almost inevitable. Both play with an intensity that sometimes crosses the line. It didn’t explode that night, but the tension said enough—it was a clash between two of the league’s toughest enforcers.
“I had the utmost respect for Metta”
It’s clear Draymond wasn’t just hyping Metta up because he was a guest on the show. He genuinely respects the one-time NBA champion. Why? Because of how similar they are.
“This guy in particular, I have the utmost respect for because of how he played the game, how he went about his business,” Green said on the same podcast.
Dray went on to say that he was never a “superstar” in the NBA because he’s not a scorer. But he does recognize that Metta was just as dominant a defender as he was, while still managing to put points on the board.
Basketball is funny like that. Green may not consider himself a superstar, but he’s undoubtedly one of the most recognizable players in the league today. Sure, a big part of that is because so many people hate him. But be honest—if a fight broke out, wouldn’t you want Draymond on your side?
The same goes for his game. Warriors fans love Draymond because he’s played a crucial role in delivering four championships to the Bay.
