Jalen Green Honors Draya Michele's 40th Birthday With Booty-Grab Photo

Jalen Green celebrated Draya Michele’s special day with a cheeky, yet heartfelt, message.

The Houston Rockets shooting guard took to Instagram on Thursday (January 23) to wish his girlfriend a happy 40th birthday. However, the post went on to make several headlines, as it showed Green embracing Michele while grabbing her butt from behind.

“Happy Pday to the realest on my side,” he captioned the Story. “I love you [Draya].”

The gesture proved that the couple is still going strong despite the criticism surrounding their relationship. Green and Michele began dating in the summer of 2023 and immediately received backlash for their 18-year age gap. It’s also worth noting that Michele entered the relationship with two children: Jru Scandrick, born in 2016, and Kniko Howard, born in 2002 — the same year as Green.

The couple addressed the hate in a June 2024 interview with TMZ Sports, just weeks after they welcomed their first child together.

“We try to stay off the internet and not really listen to that kind of stuff,” Michele told the outlet as she and Green enjoyed their newborn. “We also don’t care,” Green added.

“We block it out and we mind our business,” Michele continued. “I don’t know what people’s problem is. Two adults being in love? I don’t know why that would rub people the wrong way. It’s kind of weird. Love is love at the end of the day.”

The pair were also asked if they had any plans to welcome more kids, to which Michele replied, “Who knows.”

Shortly before Green and Michele welcomed their daughter, the NBA star had a baby girl with a 23-year-old woman Myah Iakopo. TMZ reported on the family addition last May, confirming Green’s first daughter was born February 12.

Sources told the outlet that Green and Iakopo had known each other for quite some time but were not in a serious relationship. They also claimed that the parents were on good terms, as Green was involved in the baby’s life and was supporting her financially.

Meanwhile, Cade Cunningham spoke out earlier this week about the on-court rivalry between him and Green. "It's exactly that, we want to compete against each other," Cunningham said on TNT's NBA Tuesday when asked about it. "They've always put us up against each other since high school as far as who is better, and I think we both kind of enjoy to be able to head up against each other and see who's the best."