Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Draymond Green questions Lakers guard Austin Reaves' decision to drop nicknames

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated 8/6/22

Draymond Green may have love for LeBron James, but that definitely does not extend to one of James’ teammates.

In an episode of his podcast for The Volume this week, the Golden State Warriors star Green threw some shade at Los Angeles Lakers swingman Austin Reaves. Green was commenting on Reaves recently expressing a desire to ditch the nicknames “AR-15” and “Hillbilly Kobe.”

“Bro, you haven’t done enough in your career to be trying to shed nicknames that people gave you,” said Green. “I was really blown away when he said that. Brother, you should take those nicknames and try to run with them.”

Here is the full clip, which also features ex-Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma (but beware of some bad language).

Draymond and Kuz think Austin Reaves should run with the Hillbilly Kobe nickname pic.twitter.com/5sr5J5hprZ

— pickuphoop (@pickuphoop) August 5, 2022

Reaves gave his reasoning why he wants to distance himself from the nicknames, which you can read here.

The 24-year-old Reaves may not have earned his stripes in the NBA yet, but he is getting there. After going undrafted in 2021, Reaves surprisingly snuck into the Lakers’ regular rotation as a rookie, becoming a fan favorite with his heart and production on both ends of the court.

Reaves is not the only athlete trying to shed a controversial nickname either. Earlier this summer, someone in a different sport also had a similar move.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: