CLEVELAND—Claiming that it has been a constant source of motivation throughout his career, Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green revealed to reporters Thursday that he is able to recite, completely from memory, the names of every single player drafted ahead of him in NBA history. “First was Clifton McNeely to the Pittsburgh Ironmen in 1947, then the [Toronto] Huskies took Glen Selbo, and third was Boston, who took Bulbs Ehlers,” said Green, taking the next several hours to list all 2,786 players who were selected, in order, during the six decades before he was chosen by the Warriors with the 35th overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft. “I haven’t forgotten that Dion Waiters, Tayshaun Prince, Stephon Marbury, Dan Majerle, Keith Van Horn, Rafer Alston, Grant Hill, Dominique Wilkins, John Havlicek, [1973 fifth-round pick] Dennis Bell, and Yao Ming were chosen before me, and I never will. It’s something I think about all the time, because I want to prove that I’m just as good as any of those guys.” Green went on to say that he does feel vindicated by the fact that he has an NBA championship ring, unlike Bill McGill, who was selected prior to him by the Chicago Zephyrs with the first overall pick in 1962.

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