College Basketball

Draymond Green credits Michigan State 'Flintstones' for his love of basketball

Published Jul. 7, 2023 3:55 p.m. ET

What is it that attracts recruits to certain schools?

In this day and age, that question can have a wide array of answers. While such factors as early playing time or proximity to home are always going to be the mix for certain recruits, there are other new factors in play, such as name, image and likeness, conference realignment and the constant movement of coaches.

But for former Michigan State basketball standout Draymond Green, it was "The Flintstones" that led the Saginaw, Michigan native to East Lansing.

Green recently joined Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George on his podcast, "Podcast P with Paul George" to discuss his career as a fellow podcaster and NBA star. The four-time NBA champion spoke about where he got his inspiration to play basketball, which led back to a story about a group of former Michigan State basketball greats from the city of Flint.

The group of former Spartans, which consisted of Mateen Cleaves, Charlie Bell, Andre Hutson and Antonio Smith, played an integral role in leading the Spartans to three straight Final Fours from 1999-2001, which included a victory over Florida in the 2000 National Championship.

"When I saw those guys from Flint, Michigan, which was 20 minutes away from Saginaw, that was the first thing that was like ‘Ah, I can do that," Green said. "And from that point on, I wanted to go to Michigan State."

Cleaves, Bell, Hutson and Smith all enjoyed standout careers at Michigan State, and all four played basketball professionally following their time in East Lansing.

Cleaves, who is the only three-time All-American in program history, was the No. 14 pick in the 2000 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, while Hudson was selected in the second round by the Milwaukee Bucks the following year. Bell, who went undrafted in the 2001 NBA Draft, went on to enjoy a seven-year career in the NBA, while Smith played professionally in Italy and in the NBA G League with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

Green’s love for the game of basketball began to grow after watching Tom Izzo and the Flintstones achieve such great success during their time at Michigan State. He was just 10 years old when Izzo and the Spartans captured the program’s second national championship, something he vividly remembers to this day.

"[I remember] Mo Cleaves jumping around on one ankle, doing his little dance," Green said in reference to Cleaves, who injured his ankle early in the second half of the 2000 National Championship Game and later returned to the game, despite grimacing in pain with a noticeable limp. "That, for me, was the first thing that opened my eyes to be like, ‘I want to be like that, and I want to go there, and I want to go to the NBA."

Green did just that as he signed his National Letter of Intent to play for Izzo and the Spartans in November 2007 and went on to enjoy an outstanding four-year career at MSU, which included two Final Four appearances and three Big Ten championships. Green was named a three-time All-Big Ten selection and was the 2012 Big Ten Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American.

Despite falling to the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft, Green has put together an exceptional NBA career, known as the "heart and soul" of the Golden State Warriors. In addition to being a four-time NBA champion, Green is also a four-time NBA All-Star, and was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2017.

The former Michigan State standout recently agreed to a new four-year, $100 million deal to stay with the Warriors. He has become one of the most accomplished players in the NBA during the past decade, and it all started with his love and admiration for a group of players from Flint.

"I have to give it to those guys," Green said. "It’s the Flintstones … for sure."

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