SAN FRANCISCO Draymond Green, the second-rounder turned four-time NBA champion, tends to root for the underdog.

Imagine his delight in meeting a room full of autistic people, a crowd that has been underestimated, misunderstood, even outright ridiculed.

At an event in advance of Tuesdays Autism Acceptance Night at Chase Center, the four-time Golden State All-Star delivered what essentially was a two-hour pep talk last week. At the California Academy of Sciences, where Green kept things lively with nonstop monologue, he capped things off by telling the youth in attendance to ignore the doubters, as he once did.

Your disability is your superpower. Its what makes you different, Green said. If weve got something in this world that makes us different from the next person, then guess what? Hold on to it as tight as you can. Because who wants to be like the rest of these people? Youve got to be yourself, right?

It was a rare day off for Greens barbed wit. He knew from experience to zip it when it came to trash talk, even if he was lighthearted. In fact, his misdirected banter toward someone on the spectrum was one of the reasons he was at the science museum. In a way, he was making amends.

Anthony Ianni, who played with Green at Michigan State, once called him by far, the most sarcastic guy Ive ever played with. For Ianni, Greens edgy humor felt like constant torment. In and away from practices, Ianni told Green more than once to quit insulting him, to which Green spat back: If you cant take a joke, you shouldnt be here. Whenever Ianni got really annoyed, Green turned the dial a little higher in an effort to toughen him up.

What do you do? You needle more! the Warriors forward said, recounting the backstory for his crowd. Oh, hes mad? Im under his skin? Thats when you needle more.

Finally, during a memorable weight-room clash in 2011, Green cracked wise one too many times. Ianni got in his face and told him to shut the hell up.

Spartans strength coach Mike Vorkapich intervened. Desperate to defuse the situation, he essentially blurted out Iannis secret: He was on the autism spectrum. The disorder made it challenging for Ianni to distinguish what was a joke and what wasnt with sarcasm being a particularly difficult language to decipher.

Vork pulled me to the side, Green recounted, He said, Anthonys autistic. Its black or white for him. He doesnt see the gray area. He doesnt see the joke. So when you say those things to him, he thinks youre serious. It changed my entire view.

In an instant, Green went from being Iannis needler to being his ferocious protector. By summer practices, he was patiently pacing Ianni through his on-court assignments, having permanently swapped out his one-liners for genuine encouragement. You got this, A.I. Keep it going.

Ianni, in turn, educated him on what its like to live with a diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder.

That was a secret that he and I shared, Green said. And he continued to teach me. As I continued to learn, hes always been on me my entire career: Draymond, we need to do something with autism. You let me know when youre ready, and well do something.

And that is how the Warriors tempestuous enforcer ended up dodging butterflies and free-flying birds inside a domed rainforest last Thursday.

Green perused the exhibits with 30 members of the autistic community. The Athletic tagged along, too, as Green stayed 45 minutes beyond his scheduled time and kept the conversations rolling even as a soft automated voice repeatedly told visitors that the museum was closing.

When two aspiring filmmakers with autism, Jabari Daniels and Ronald Hicks, approached Green to explain their next cinematic project, Green quickly agreed to be part of it so long as he could play himself and later told them to aim for the stars.

Jabari, were gonna make a film. And why cant your film win an Oscar? Why cant your film win an Emmy? Because you have a disability? Thats what theyre going to tell you, Green said. But its up to you whether to believe that or not. If you believe it, then guess what? Youre going to be exactly what they say. But if you dont believe it, then guess what you can be?

Daniels smiled as he awaited the answer. He and Hicks were from Inclusion Films, which was started in 2007 by veteran filmmaker Joey Travolta (Johns brother) to teach movie-making to individuals with developmental disabilities.

You can be much bigger than Draymond Green became at basketball. Much bigger, Green continued. So, chase after your dream.

Ianni, now 34, flew into San Francisco for the festivities. He lives in Livonia, Michigan, and serves as a motivational speaker and author. His book, Centered: Autism Basketball and One Athletes Dreams, detailed the aforementioned weight-room confrontation.

Seeing Draymond stepping up for autism awareness means a lot to me, Ianni said. To see what he did at the museum and the aquarium, and seeing how much he cares about that community it gets me emotional at times.

Hes one of the top players defensive players in the league; he does not have to do this. Its not just him being a friend. Were doing it together because were brothers. And thats what Michigan State really taught us the most.

For the visit to the California Academy of Sciences, the museum provided participants with sensory kits designed to help guests with a variety of autism spectrum disorders or sensory sensitivities as a way of making them feel comfortable and safe.One young visitor slapped the railing in delight while watching an aquarium exhibit featuring a live flapnose ray. A move to the African penguin colony had cell phone cameras working in overdrive.

Still, not everyone navigated the terrain so effortlessly. The autism spectrum can include unusual responses to sensory stimuli. Kerry Rich kept an eye on his son, Joshua, 21, who sometimes sought out a quiet place in the corner and covered his eyes.

Thats a coping mechanism, Rich said. Thats like saying, Hey, thats too much input, and I have to kind of regulate. But if you really think about it, we all have sensory issues, right? Weve all had instances where we need to walk to a different part of the room and get away.

Joshuas journey was at the heart of the group that visited with Green. Participants were all part of a nonprofit organization called Joshuas Gift.

The boy was 2 years old when he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. After a few days of crying, Kerry and his wife, Mizpah Brown-Rich, reframed the situation entirely.

They decided their sons autism wasnt a disability; it was a treasure. They named their nonprofit after their son, and it focuses on the social, mental, emotional and economic needs of families living with autism.

Kids with autism are a gift in that theyre innocent. They wouldnt harm anyone, said Kerry, whose Warriors-loving family lives in Fremont, Calif. From our perspective, we look at it as God blessed us to take care of him because he knew we could. Josh is the gift that keeps giving.

Whats so interesting is that you see him there and you see some of these other kids. Theyre extremely intelligent. They cant all articulate like you and I. Some dont talk at all. But theyre very smart. They understand things. They just take a tremendous amount of patience.

Green now understands that thanks to the years of education from his old teammate. His interaction with a wide range of behaviors Thursday seemed to lift him up. One of basketballs most volatile technical-foul magnets was hardly recognizable in this forum.

Asked about the biggest misconception surrounding autism, Green echoed what Joshuas father said of the myth of a lack of intelligence.

I talked to a 13-year-old that taught me seven things that I didnt know, Green said, referring to Jett Geohegan. He walked with me pretty much the entire time. He just taught me seven random facts that I had no idea about. He was brilliant.

Green had one-on-one moments with the attendees, seeking out chances to say hello. One not-so-shy visitor, Dominic Deleon, approached him and said he watched the Warriors most recent game.

Howd I do? Green said.

You fell down, Deleon responded.

Would you help me back up if I fell down? Green asked.

No, Deleon said, smiling wide.

Why not? Green exclaimed.

From that, a friendship was born. Green and Deleon were in constant contact for much of the remainder of the afternoon. Green even gave Deleon a few shout-outs during his closing speech. All along, nobody smiled wider than Golden States veteran, the 2017 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

I love children, and I love for people to feel good, Green said. We were blessed to be on this Earth, and I think everyone should feel good every day. If there is something that I can do or say to make someone feel better, I am all in. You dont know what these people have gone through. You get out in the world, people are very, very mean, and you just dont know what they say.

To have the opportunity to interact with these kids, I just want to make sure that they leave with a smile on their face. I want them to know that theres someone out here who cares about them and their well-being and believes in them and what they can do.

Green signed endless autographs on hats, T-shirts, basketballs, often from children making multiple returns through the line. He was happy to see them each time through. And he really did commit to doing a movie with Daniels and Hicks, pledging he would handle any chore as long as he could avoid screenwriting duties.

Youre writing and directing it, Green quipped to Hicks. Im just tagging along, hoping to get an A on the class group project.

The event closed with a moving speech, one where he vowed to continue educating myself, continue trying to raise awareness and educating others.

I just want to say thank you for the energy that you all bring, Green told the group. The joy that it brings to me, you will never understand. To walk in here and feel that energy and feel that love, I thank you all so much. Im with you on your journey. You wont see me every day, but know that you have a supporter in me.

(Top photo of Draymond Green and Dominic Deleon: Courtesy of the Golden State Warriors)

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How the Warriors Draymond Green became a motivated autism activist - The Athletic