"Neither of you guys are going to win this argument" - Richard Jefferson urges Draymond Green and Kenyon Martin to "squash their beef"

Draymond Green and Kenyon Martin have been at one another's throats for a while now, with this feud's intensity growing with each passing day. Both assert they are better than the other.

Since the two have never-back-down attitudes that helped them carve out substantial careers in the NBA despite being undersized frontcourt players, the back-and-forth never seems to end.

However, according to Richard Jefferson, who played with both, these players are more alike than people think. In a lengthy diatribe on the "Road Trippin'" podcast, RJ implored them to squash this beef and instead give props to one another for being game-changers in their respective eras.

Fists would have flown

It's impossible to determine who's the better player between Dray and K-Mart, considering they played in two different eras. Play in the early 2000s was played at a snail's crawl and game officials were more lenient towards physicality.

On the other hand, the 2010s saw the Golden State Warriors usher in a new era of pace-and-space basketball, with Draymond leading the charge as a small-ball center. Jefferson, though, stressed that had Dray and K-Mart faced off on the hardwood floor, it would have been a highly combustible situation.

"Draymond, you would have talked how you talked, because that's who you are. But if you would have talked like that to Kenyon in '04," he said. "Y'all would have fought 100%. Y'all would have fought 100%."

As talented as K-Mart was, he also had a short fuse. He also went through a phase of giving out hard fouls, which led to numerous suspensions. From All-Stars like Tracy McGrady and Karl Malone to the bullstrong wingman Corey Maggette, Kenyon made sure to make his presence felt every time someone went down the lane.

"You and him would have fought, and that's kind of what Kenyon liked, and you would have been okay with it. But make no mistake: if you would have tried to talk to him like you've talked to other players, that would have never been allowed. I watched it for multiple years. That was not allowed," Jefferson said, referring to Green's motormouth. "And you would have still did it. And y'all would have fought. That's the only thing that I'm telling you that's factual."

Related: Kenyon Martin highlights the biggest reason why Detroit is the best in the East

Elite defensive players

One point Dray made about Kenyon was his lack of defensive accolades. However, RJ defended K-Mart from this, saying the explosive 6'9" forward was as elite as they came during his playing days; the only reason why he wasn't considered for any of the All-Defensive Teams was that he wasn't a rebounding demon (averaged 6.8 for his career).

"He has no All-Defensive Team, I don't believe, but he helmed the number one defense from our — my first year and my second year, our two NBA Finals years, right? Our two NBA Finals years. He helmed the number one defense. He was the center. He was the two. He was guarding every position. He was that dude," RJ recalled.

As entertaining as it is to hear these two intense and opinionated players go at it nearly every day, Jefferson urged them to stop, saying this argument will not end if they keep discussing it.

"Please stop arguing. Neither of you guys are going to win this argument. You guys are not going to win it. You both are some of the greatest I've ever seen. You both are a little different," he stated. "So stop disrespecting each other. Start to support each other and squash this, because y'all both a little different, but what y'all both accomplished is game-changing."

The stats may not back it up, but Martin was undoubtedly a fantastic defender who helped the New Jersey Nets rise from the bottom of the East up to the NBA Finals. Green is of the same ilk, becoming a Defensive Player of the Year and an All-NBA Team member despite being a second-round pick. Truth be told, these are two peas fighting in the same pod.

Related: Richard Jefferson thinks Nikola Jokic has the same value as Alperen Sengun and KD combined

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.