No matter the age or social media site, parents, for the most part, will always go to bat for their children. Rockets star Tari Eason’s mom has shown multiple times that she does not play around when people trash her son online, and neither does Draymond Green’s mother, Mary Babers.
In an interview on The Pivot Podcast, Green listened as Ryan Clark told a hilarious story involving his mother and their exchange on X. Clark had tweeted a comment about Draymond’s play during a Golden State Warriors game, but Babers didn’t take it lightly… or kindly.
“You were actually playing really well [but] you missed a dunk,” Clark recalled, laughing. “I just tweeted … look at all the stuff he’s done.” Mary Babers didn’t let that slide. According to Clark, she replied with fire, saying: “Well, what about the ones that can do all that?” Clark said he backed down immediately, realizing he wanted no smoke.
“I need to be very clear,” Clark told the podcast hosts. “This was a compliment. I am not trying to beef.” Draymond Green could only laugh. “Absolutely,” he said proudly. “That’s still her baby.” When asked how his mom behaves on social media, Draymond’s answer was instant: “My mom, I had to help her out with Twitter — she go crazy.” The room erupted in laughter.
Green reminded the room that he is, in fact, the youngest of five kids: “I am actually her baby,” he said. “So it’s a different thing there.” That love runs deep — even when it spills over on X. But beyond the jokes, Draymond shared how playing in the NBA for so long has weighed on his family, including his mother and wife.
“It started affecting my mom,” he said. “She doesn’t watch games anymore … brings her anxiety.” “She checks the boxscore,“ he explained, “but she’s like, ‘Yo, just be done. Like it’s cool … just be done.‘” Despite that plea, Draymond isn’t ready to walk away yet, and why should he? Just last season, Green finished third in the voting for DPOY, despite being the oldest player in contention for the trophy.
“And I’m like, ‘No, Mom, got more to give,'” he said. Babers may be ready for retirement — just not hers. The grind is taking its toll on everyone close to Green. That includes his wife.
Draymond revealed how online hate has gone beyond him and into his family’s life. “People attacking my wife because I got into it with somebody on the court,“ he said. “She’s got to cut her comments off [on Instagram].”
He shared a disturbing example: “People telling her, ‘I know you’re getting beaten at home.‘” Green didn’t hold back about how deeply it affected him. “I saw the weight that it was putting on her,“ he said. “She is going to ride, but I take on your [sh*t].“ His voice steady, Green added: “I’mma help you through the [sh*t].”
The pain was not just hers. It crushed him, too. “When I realize that damn I’m causing them [sh*t] … and I ain’t able to take it on … it was crushing me. I don’t put my [sht] on nobody,” Draymond said. “I take my [sht] on the chin.” In that moment, he owned every ripple effect of his public life.
As the Golden State Warriors veteran inches closer to the twilight of his career, the conversation around retirement becomes louder — even in his own home. Still, Draymond Green hasn’t closed that door. He believes there’s still something left in the tank. And until it’s empty, he’s not ready to call it.
But don’t tell his mother that.
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