Draymond Green fires back at NBA reporter saying people are worried about him: 'I am a successful Black man in America'

Draymond Green is back once again for the Warriors — and so is his passion.

It was an offseason of change for Golden State, which lost Klay Thompson and replaced him with a cast of role players, but two familiar faces from the franchise's dynasty will be on the court in Green and Stephen Curry.

Anyone expecting Green to change his approach after a tumultuous two seasons will be disappointed, though. A reporter found that out at Warriors media day on Monday when Green took exception to a question about his availability.

Here's what Green had to say ahead of his 13th NBA season.

Draymond Green fires back at reporter

Green took questions from reporters on Warriors media day, ahead of a season that comes with tempered expectations for the franchise after years of competing for championships. One question didn't sit well with him.

"You know people worry about you — your fans and your teammates," Scott Ostler from the San Francisco Chronicle asked before he was cut off by Green.

"Why are they worried about me?" Green asked. "I am a successful Black man in America doing incredibly well. What's the worry about?"

Green explained that "there are way more people in this world to worry about than me" and said he's doing "pretty well" considering his difficult upbringing.

The reporter tried to clarify that he meant fans are worried about his focus and availability for games, referring to multiple lengthy suspensions Green served for his on-court behavior last season.

Green dismissed any concerns that he might be forced to miss more time. "I'm here. I've been here for 13 years now," Green said, adding, "We all miss games."

Plenty of NBA stars miss games in this era of basketball, but Green's reasons for missing games last season were not the same as most other players. He was suspended five games for choking Rudy Gobert and received an indefinite suspension for hitting Jusuf Nurkic in the head. Green was reinstated after 12 games.

With the Warriors expected to find themselves in another battle just to make the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference, Green's availability is crucial — he just doesn't believe it's anything fans need to be concerned about.