San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Danny Green talked to Gospel Herald in an exclusive interview about meeting the president of the United States in the White House, how his team could fare in the upcoming NBA playoffs, and his experience in the NCAA Tournament known as March Madness.
In a video interview conducted by Derrel Johnson, the shooting guard first talked about the team's recent visit to Washington. The current NBA champs met President Barack Obama in the White House.
"It was great and amazing," Green said about meeting the president. "It was a blessing, an opportunity to meet the president. Not many people get a chance to do that."
Green added that meeting "the first black president" was "quite an experience for me," noting that overall, it was a "fun" occasion.
Johnson then asked Green what it was like to be inside the White House. Green first admitted that he's been inside the historic building before the team's visit with Obama.
"It was a good experience learning about the history, seeing different rooms, paintings, and who started what, who did what," Green said. "The best thing was meeting [Obama], talking in front of all of the people."
Green added that the president honored his team, which won the NBA Finals last year, and the Spurs reciprocated by presenting Obama with a team jersey.
Johnson then turned the focus on the upcoming NBA playoffs. He asked Green on how difficult it would be San Antonio to make it to a third NBA Final series and win a third championship, given that the Spurs managed to win back-to-back NBA championships for two years in a row.
"Very difficult, it's not an easy thing to do," Green said. "To get to the championships multiple times and also win an NBA championship, every team will be gunning for you. They know you're the NBA champs."
Green elaborated on the challenges facing the Spurs in their hopes of winning a third straight NBA championship.
"This year, we have had some injuries," Green said. "We're trying to stay healthy. It's hard to play and get back to the point where we were last year, not being as satisfied and have that chip on our shoulders like we did before."
The Spurs shooting guard expressed confidence that his team can succeed in the face of adversity.
"I think this team is capable of doing it," Green said. "We have the potential. We have the experience, and hopefully we stay healthy."
In his final question, Johnson asked Green of what his memories were in playing for the NCAA Tournament. According to statistics compiled by ESPN, Green used to play for North Carolina before being drafted to the NBA back in 2009.
"March Madness was the greatest time of the year for everybody in college," Green said. "I did four years of playing in it. [It] had some upsets and losses and had some great moments."
Green added that March Madness was "fun to watch and fun to play in," given that at "any given moment, anytime, any team can lose no matter what the seed is."
