With Stephen Curry watching from the sidelines, Draymond Green took it upon himself to provide the fireworks, and he aimed them directly at his old rival, LeBron James. Green just needed one shot to connect before trash-talking James, who had no reply.

During the Warriors’ offense, Green sank a corner three with James a little slow to contest the shot. Once it went in, Green put the Lakers star on notice.

“You better close out to me like I’m Steph Curry,” the Dubs veteran said.

It’s quite a wild claim considering Green shooting 32% from the three-point line while Curry, at 37, continues to sink shots at 46.8% from deep.

James had nothing to say, but his smirk revealed how he felt about the moment. However, this was not Green’s sole viral incident yesterday.

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The Lakers were ahead by just 4 points (87-83) with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. Forward Jarred Vanderbilt tried to dominate the paint and drove in, but was fouled hard from behind. Green swatted at the ball, hitting Vanderbilt in the head in the process.

Even Richard Jefferson said on the broadcast, “He got him in the noogie, he’s gonna give him a headlock.”

There was another instance soon after when Green was arguing with Maxi Kleber after elbowing Austin Reaves to the ground during a play. James, however, was the first to step in and calm things down between the two before a fight escalated.

Before this, Green was also jawing at the injured star Luka Doncic.

The Slovenian was talking to the officials at halftime, and Green soon interjected. Both shared words for 20 seconds, then smiled before separating. Ultimately, Green’s efforts were not enough as the Lakers won 105-99 at Crypto.com Arena.

Draymond Green reveals his true feelings about sharing the court with LeBron James

At the peak of their rivalries, there was no love between James and any of the Warriors‘ superstars. You’d remember how the two kept arguing at multiple points during the 2016 NBA Finals, with some of them even turning physical. However, over the years, as they have aged, their appreciation for each other has grown, and now LeBron James and Draymond Green have gotten close, as Klutch Sports Agency represents both.

Recently, Green expressed interest in teaming up with James amid trade rumors.

“I’ve always wanted to [play with him],” Green said to Melissa Rohlin of The California Post. “Saying I wanted to go to his team, that’s not the case. I’m very comfortable in my situation with 30 [Curry] and what we’ve built and what we have.”

Back in 2024, reports surfaced that the Warriors had reached out to the Lakers ahead of the trade deadline. But those talks to bring James to the Bay Area never progressed.

However, the possibility of playing together is still open now. Next year, James is a free agent and can sign with any team he wants. The Warriors have acquired veteran center Porzingis on an expiring $30.7 million contract, which will open up cap space in the summer.

While a future team-up remains a possibility, Saturday’s game proved that for now, Green and James are still fierce competitors, content to battle it out on the hardwood. That’s why the Warriors star had no problem putting the entire Lakers roster on notice with his usual antics.