"Definitely my DPOY too": Steph Curry shouts out Draymond Green after veteran forward wins Hustle honors

Steph Curry gave a shoutout to Golden State Warriors teammate Draymond Green after he was named the 2024-25 NBA Hustle Award winner. The Hustle Award goes to players who consistently make high-effort plays that don’t always show up on the box score but are vital to winning.

Curry celebrated Green’s honor with a post on his Instagram Stories, sharing a post from the NBA.

He also mentioned that Green, who placed third in the Defensive Player of the Year race behind winner Evan Mobley and runner-up Dyson Daniels, had his vote. Curry followed up by backing him for All-Defensive First Team.

“Respect,” he wrote in the caption, tagging Green. “Definitely my DPOY too but see you on 1st team.”

Draymond Green, a four-time NBA All-Star, two-time All-NBA pick and eight-time All-Defensive Team member, is now the most decorated player to ever win the Hustle Award, per the league. Last year’s winner was Alex Caruso, with Marcus Smart winning it the two seasons before that.

Other finalists for the award this year included Cason Wallace (OKC), Guerschon Yabusele (76ers), Luguentz Dort (OKC) and Dyson Daniels (Hawks).

In the regular season, Green posted averages of 9.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks over 68 games. According to the NBA, he and MVP contender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were the only players to put up at least 1.45 steals and 1.0 blocks per game while playing 40+ games.

The league also spotlighted his hustle metrics — ranking 15th in deflections, 13th in contested two-point shots, and 2nd in contested threes.

Dillon Brooks calls out Draymond Green as 'dirty player'

Game 2 of the intense first-round matchup between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors took a turn when Jimmy Butler took a hard fall after getting undercut by Amen Thompson.

But Dillon Brooks stood up for his Rockets teammate Friday, denying any dirty intent — and instead turned the spotlight on Draymond Green.

"No, I think the dirty player is Draymond (Green), giving him a little push as regular basketball players do," Brooks said (per ESPN). "And Jimmy's fighting in the air for a rebound and stuff happens. Amen's not a dirty player. He has (nothing) to do with being a dirty player."

Butler ended up being diagnosed with a gluteal contusion, and his status for Saturday’s Game 3 at Chase Center remains in doubt. The Rockets tied the series 1-1 after winning Game 2 109-94.

Draymond Green has a history of incidents — from the infamous punch on Jordan Poole in practice to a chokehold on Rudy Gobert, as well as multiple run-ins with referees and players, including groin-related controversies.