Nick Young, Ex-Teammate of Draymond Green, Had A Heated Exchange With Kenyon Martin

The NBA community is still buzzing about the recent war of words between Kenyon Martin and Draymond Green. With this beef still fresh in the minds of fans, it appears that Martin has figured in another intense altercation. This time, he got into it with a former player who used to be Green’s teammate.

Ironically, Nick Young is now a co-host on the popular “Gil’s Arena” podcast alongside Martin. During a recent conversation in which Green’s name was brought up, a heated Martin took aim at Young. “He’s the reason you got that ring,” Martin said.

“And you’re the reason you ain’t got one,” Young fired back.

As things escalated into a shouting match, Young pointed out an interesting comparison between Martin and Green. “You had a top-five point guard; he had a top-five point guard. He got the job done. Let’s just keep it real!”

Young, of course, is referring to iconic floor generals Jason Kidd and Steph Curry, who achieved different outcomes as they teamed with Martin and Green, respectively. In four years of teaming with Kidd on the New Jersey Nets lineup, Martin reached two NBA Finals but failed to win a single title. Meanwhile, ever since Green joined forces with Curry in 2012, they have appeared in six Finals series and won four championships.

Martin, who was selected first overall in the 2000 NBA Draft, stood up for himself by pointing out that he led the Nets in scoring. As a matter of fact, he did it for two straight seasons. “I did my job, n**ga,” Martin exclaimed. Young then retorted, “They got rid of you, so obviously, you didn’t.”

This high-decibel situation is the latest exchange that features Martin taking shots at the validity of Young’s championship credentials. Fans, of course, can choose to side with Martin, who was a key piece of the powerhouse Nets team in the early 2000s; or Young, who was a role player on the Warriors squad that swept LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 Finals.

Amidst the intensity of this encounter, there were two lighthearted details worth pointing out. First, it may or may not have been a coincidence that Young was wearing a No. 23 Green jersey in this episode. Seeing this fashion choice could very well have pushed Martin off the edge.

The other moment of levity came when the other panelists stepped in to break up the verbal fight. At that point, Gilbert Arenas turned to Young and pretended to get heated as well. “You’ve never stood tall like this for me. No, no, no. You about to cry for Draymond Green after all the s*** I’ve done for you?”

Recognizing the attempt to defuse the tension, Young smiled.