Michigan State University Athletics
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Draymond Green Helps Lead Team USA to Gold Medal in Tokyo
8/10/2021 12:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
East Lansing, Mich. – Former Michigan State men's basketball standout Draymond Green said that winning a gold medal with the United States at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, at the Saitama Super Arena on Saturday in Saitama, Japan, was among the highlights of his career.
Green had five assists and two steals in 16 minutes in the gold medal game as Team USA beat France, 87-82, for the country's fourth-straight gold medal. It was the 16th time in the last 19 Olympics that Team USA has won the gold medal.
"For me, personally, this is right up there at the top," Green said afterward. "When you just think about the road traveled to get here. I mean, we're in one of the craziest times in this world, at least for anyone here. If you're here, it's probably one of the craziest times in the world that we've all seen.
"To be pushed back a year, all the things that's going on, losing guys because of COVID, leaving your family, all of those things. And then the doubt, because as they say, every country continues to get better. And the doubt that we heard over and over again, even from, you turn on sports talk in America, everybody was crushing us. This is special, and it ranks right up at the top for me."
This was Green's second gold medal as he was on the Team USA squad that won at the 2016 Rio Games in Brazil. Green is one of only five players to win two gold medals and win three NBA titles, joining Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
"It's great, it's a challenge to do special things," Green said. "I know it seems as if it's come easy for so long. I played in 2016. It wasn't easy then. It wasn't easy this year, but nothing special, nothing worth having, you don't have to fight for. If it's worth having, you got to fight for it. We fought. They fought. I think the better team came out as gold medalists."
Green is the third former Michigan State player to win Olympic gold, joining Magic Johnson (1992) and Steve Smith (2000).
After losing to France in the opening game in Tokyo, 83-76, on July 25, Team USA posted wins over Iran, the Czech Republic and Spain. The Americans beat Australia on August 5, 97-78, to reach the gold medal game. Green appeared in all six games, averaging 3.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 17.7 minutes per game.
"Very special group," Green said. "The sacrifices that this group made – leaving your families after such a strenuous season, to come over here, and three guys coming off a plane playing the game in the same day, coming from the NBA Finals, which is draining enough in itself. So, it's a very special group, and it's not just the 12 guys you actually saw win the gold medal. It's coaching staff, all our coaching staff that came out to Vegas to help, training the staff. This was a total group effort, and it's a special one."
Green had five assists and two steals in 16 minutes in the gold medal game as Team USA beat France, 87-82, for the country's fourth-straight gold medal. It was the 16th time in the last 19 Olympics that Team USA has won the gold medal.
"For me, personally, this is right up there at the top," Green said afterward. "When you just think about the road traveled to get here. I mean, we're in one of the craziest times in this world, at least for anyone here. If you're here, it's probably one of the craziest times in the world that we've all seen.
"To be pushed back a year, all the things that's going on, losing guys because of COVID, leaving your family, all of those things. And then the doubt, because as they say, every country continues to get better. And the doubt that we heard over and over again, even from, you turn on sports talk in America, everybody was crushing us. This is special, and it ranks right up at the top for me."
This was Green's second gold medal as he was on the Team USA squad that won at the 2016 Rio Games in Brazil. Green is one of only five players to win two gold medals and win three NBA titles, joining Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
"It's great, it's a challenge to do special things," Green said. "I know it seems as if it's come easy for so long. I played in 2016. It wasn't easy then. It wasn't easy this year, but nothing special, nothing worth having, you don't have to fight for. If it's worth having, you got to fight for it. We fought. They fought. I think the better team came out as gold medalists."
Green is the third former Michigan State player to win Olympic gold, joining Magic Johnson (1992) and Steve Smith (2000).
After losing to France in the opening game in Tokyo, 83-76, on July 25, Team USA posted wins over Iran, the Czech Republic and Spain. The Americans beat Australia on August 5, 97-78, to reach the gold medal game. Green appeared in all six games, averaging 3.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 17.7 minutes per game.
"Very special group," Green said. "The sacrifices that this group made – leaving your families after such a strenuous season, to come over here, and three guys coming off a plane playing the game in the same day, coming from the NBA Finals, which is draining enough in itself. So, it's a very special group, and it's not just the 12 guys you actually saw win the gold medal. It's coaching staff, all our coaching staff that came out to Vegas to help, training the staff. This was a total group effort, and it's a special one."
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