Draymond Green watched from the Breslin Center floor as his No. 23 went up to the rafters, the highest honor a college basketball program can bestow.

During the early December game against Duke, Michigan State basketball paid tribute to the former Saginaw star and college All-American who has gone on to become an NBA champion and All-Star.

But it almost didn't happen.

Green was almost a Wolverine.

The Golden State Warriors forward was a guest on Showtime's "All the Smoke" with former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. The show, released online on Thursday, is an uncensored conversation that typically travels through any and all subjects.

And with Green, no subject is off-limits.

Most interesting to people around Michigan is probably Green explaining his college recruitment.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Green, who was under the impression he didn't officially have an offer from Michigan State, accepted a scholarship offer from Tubby Smith-led Kentucky after a visit for a Saturday night game between the Wildcats and then-champion Florida at Rupp Arena.

• There was just one problem: Green, then a high school junior, accepted the offer without telling his mother, Mary Babers. For several days.

• After Green's mother found out a few days later and delivered a tongue-lashing, she visited Kentucky and understood Green's decision.

• In March 2007, Smith announced he was leaving Kentucky and taking the job at Minnesota. Smith called Green before the news got out, and Green reopened his recruitment.

The morning after decommitting from Kentucky, Green got a call from MSU coach Tom Izzo.

More on Green:How he is still teaching Michigan State basketball how to win

"How in the (expletive) could you commit to Kentucky, it's (expletive)," Green said Izzo said, explaining the raw feel of their relationship dates back to this point.

"You ain't (expletive) offer me," Green said, as the two were now in a screaming match.

"Well, you didn't have a (expletive) offer, but now I'm telling you you have a (expletive) offer," Izzo said, according to Green.

In the fall of Green's senior year at Saginaw, he said he was days away from signing with Michigan.

"My mom wanted me to go to Michigan because of the education. I was just trying to get to the league, so I wasn't really tripping about the education," Green said, adding that, at the time, John Beilein has just arrived in Ann Arbor and things felt good.

But Green went to one last open gym in Ann Arbor to play with what would be his future teammates a few days before he was going to announce.

"So I go down there ... I'm busting they ass," Green said. "I'm talking (expletive), I'm busting they ass, and nobody is talking back.

"And at the time, Manny Fresh (Manny Harris) was there, Petey (DeShawn Sims) was there. Petey ain't a big talker, Petey from Detroit. Manny (is) not a talker. ... And then like the rest, Kelvin Grady, but there were a lot of squares on the team. ...

"But I'll go to Michigan State, and I'm talking (expletive), and Travis Walton is trying to fight me and everybody is trying to fight. And that's me. ... That's more me that me talking and everybody looking at me.

[ Green makes ex-Michigan star Jordan Poole sing MSU fight song ]

"And so, Michigan State just felt more at home for me. But had Michigan just left my ass at home and not (expletive) called me on that Monday, I would have went to Michigan."

Instead, Green went to MSU, and the rest is history.

Green's number retirement came seven years after he was a national player of the year, but what took so long? Izzo actually wanted to have the ceremony back in 2016, but as Green said, it was perhaps the worst year of his life.

"I got suspended from Game 5 of the Finals, and then about three weeks later I slapped the (expletive) out of a guy at Michigan State and got arrested. And then about 2½ weeks later, I (expletive) had a Snapchat incident," Green said.

A few months later, Green said Izzo offered him the jersey retirement honor, but Green was still angry, especially over the incident with former MSU football player Jermaine Edmondson that led to Green's arrest.

[ Why Izzo calls Xavier Tillman 'my new Draymond Green' ]

But last summer, Izzo gave Green little choice, telling his former player he needs to pick a date. Dec. 3 against Duke worked best.

"When I went out there on that court at halftime with my family there, with my kids there, and to see my (expletive) jersey going into the rafters. ... Like, that's there forever," Green said.

"It was a big deal for me to have my name and picture in the weight room," he continued. "But to get my jersey up there? I paid for the weight room, but I worked for that (expletive) jersey."

Here is the interview, starting from Green's response (Warning: because the conversation is casual, which is the design of the show, there's plenty of explicit language.)

Contact Kirkland Crawford: kcrawford@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @HiKirkHere.