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Draymond Green has been one of the NBA's best defenders for a while now, and last season he was officially recognized as such, winning his first Defensive Player of the Year award. 

Before the Golden State Warriors' first preseason game, Green finally got his trophy, and it came with an added surprise. The Warriors brought in Green's idol -- four-time Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace -- to present Green the trophy before the Dubs tipped off against the Denver Nuggets. 

When Wallace was protecting the paint for the Detroit Pistons, Green was growing up in Sagniaw, Michigan, a town north of Detroit, and Big Ben's play inside was inspirational to the young Green. So much in fact Green even rocked an afro like Wallace's. Eventually, through AAU basketball, Green was able to meet Wallace, and they formed a relationship that lives on to this day.

A few years back, Green even wrote Wallace a letter about how much he meant to him growing up. Via the Detroit Free Press:

The day came where I was able to build a relationship with Ben and, to this day, he continues to be a big brother to me. Here we are about 10 years later and a common story line has surfaced --- how am I able to do what I do while undersized, just like Ben. I refuse to be outworked and I consider myself to have the heart of a lion. As I sit now, I begin to ponder, "Why was Ben's path directed to Detroit, where I could watch every game he played?"

The only answer I can come up with is that God placed him there because a kid from Saginaw was watching with a dream of playing in the NBA. This kid would also be considered undersized, but had that similar drive and a heart that never stops pumping with determination to never be denied. It is only fitting that with my return to Michigan only a day away to play in my home state against the Detroit Pistons, Big Ben's jersey is being retired. I feel it is only right to say THANK YOU.

Now, the relationship has come full circle as the two are part of the exclusive club that can call themselves NBA defensive players of the Year. 

It must have been a pretty awesome feeling for Green to get the trophy from his idol.