Four-time All-Star Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green had words for LeBron James and Chris Paul after their latest accomplishment.
James, a foe-turned-friend who squared off against Green in four straight NBA Finals from 2015-18, and Paul, himself a playoff rival who was a Warriors teammate to Green in 2023-24, made league history by becoming the first players ever to be named to the Hall of Fame while still playing.
Chris Paul and LeBron James are the only active players in NBA history to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Legends. pic.twitter.com/qT90vrSscd
That's the benefit of having been around for 20 (Paul) and 22 seasons (James). Both players were inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame last weekend for their roles on the gold medal 2008 U.S. Olympics men's basketball squad, dubbed the "Redeem Team," at the Beijing summer games.
Three future Hall of Famers
"Bron and CP got [orange] jackets while still playing. That's insane!" Green wrote in reaction on his Threads account.
James, Paul and Green are likely to all be first-ballot Hall of Famers when they do hang up their sneakers for good.
Paul, 40, is a 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA honoree, and nine-time All-Defensive Teamer. A pint-sized 6-foot point guard, he agreed to a discounted veteran's minimum deal to return to the L.A. Clippers in 2025-26, and has hinted that this could be his final NBA season. He has finished among the top 10 in MVP votes 10 times for four different teams, and while he hasn't won a league title yet, he has led one team, the 2020-21 Phoenix Suns, to the NBA Finals.
Last season, he started all 82 games for the 34-48 San Antonio Spurs, averaging 8.8 points on .427/.377/.924 shooting splits, 7.4 dimes, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per.
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He'll now likely back up his former Houston Rockets comrade James Harden, on a team that — prior to the still-developing Kawhi Leonard tree-planting scandal — fancied itself a contender.
James, also 40 and primed to be the league's oldest active player for the third straight season, has one of the most decorated resumes ever. He's led three different squads to 10 NBA Finals, including eight straight from 2011-18, winning four championships as the unquestioned best player. The 6-foot-9 vet is a four-time league and Finals MVP, a 21-time All-Star and All-NBA honoree, and a six-time All-Defensive Teamer.
Last year, as the second-best player on the 50-32 Los Angeles Lakers, James averaged 24.4 points on .513/.376/.782 shooting splits, 8.2 dimes and 7.8 boards per.
Green, 35, has won four championships with Golden State. A four-time All-Star, nine-time All-Defensive Teamer, two-time All-NBA honoree, and the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year, the 6-foot-6 Michigan State product remains a potent defensive force. In 68 games for the 48-34 Warriors last year, Green averaged 9.0 points on a .424/.325/.687 slash line, 6.1 boards and 5.6 dimes a contest.
Green has himself been a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Team USA, most recently during the "2020" games in Tokyo (which actually took place in 2021 due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic), although one wonders if either of those rosters will get the call to the Hall.
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