Draymond Green wanted to be like his idol, Pistons center Ben Wallace.
But because Green was a pudgy middle-school student, he couldn’t yet emulate Wallace’s chiseled frame or relentless defense. Green settled for the next best thing: a huge Afro reminiscent of the black mane flowing from Wallace’s blue and red headbands.
Today, more than a decade after trading his Afro for a buzz cut, Green wants to be even more like Wallace. Green is one of the best defenders in the league, but Wallace is one of only two players in NBA history to have won the Defensive Player of the Year Award four times (Dikembe Mutombo is the other).