Having been a member of the Warriors for nearly five years, Draymond Green has become a fan of Oakland and its people.
Considering that, as well as Green's outspoken nature, perhaps it's not surprising he expressed profound distaste for the Raiders' impending move to Las Vegas.
"That's crazy. I feel bad for the city of Oakland," Green told reporters Tuesday night, after the Warriors posted a 113-106 win over the Rockets in Houston. "I don't even know how that's going to work, honestly, with a football team moving to Las Vegas. I feel bad for the city.
"If I were the fans, I wouldn't attend a game for the next two years. But that's just me. That's ridiculous. No way I'd pay my money to attend a game."
Though Green roots for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the 27-year-old power forward has attended games at the Coliseum and developed relationships with members of the Raiders, a franchise established in Oakland in 1960. The team moved to Los Angeles in 1982, and returned to Oakland in 1995.
Green was 5 years old in Saginaw, Mich. when the Raiders returned to their original home in ‘95, and he, like many Bay Area Raiders fans, clearly is having trouble digesting the idea of them being based in another city.
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"That's like moving the Dallas Cowboys or moving the Packers," he said. "Moving the Raiders? You can move a lot of teams. Ain't many fan bases like the Raiders fan base. That's like moving the Boston Celtics from Boston or the Lakers from LA.
"You just don't move certain franchises with the fan base they have."
The Raiders are the second professional team preparing to vacate Oakland. The Warriors, after all, are planning to move to San Francisco in 2019.
"It's one thing if you're moving them from Oakland to Fremont or something," Green said of the Raiders. "To Las Vegas? I wouldn't attend a game. I won't attend a game.
"And I'm not a diehard Raiders fan, but I support the city of Oakland. It ain't for me and I feel like all fans should feel that way. You just don't do that. Come on man, that's ridiculous."
