A physical altercation occurred between Warriors’ power forward Draymond Green, and Timberwolves’ center Rudy Gobert, during their in-season tournament game Tuesday night. The two sides entered a scuffle just two minutes into the game, resulting in Green placing Gobert in a headlock. Green was tossed, along with fellow teammate Klay Thompson and Timberwolves’ small forward Jaden McDaniels. The conflict between Thompson and McDaniels is what initiated the brawl.
Green is no stranger to getting himself in some trouble, especially during games, but his headlock against Gobert appeared quite unnecessary, as it was held for more than five seconds. It may have been a personal matter for Green, leading to an acceleration of conflict getting out of hand. A flagrant was also called on Green which led to two free throws for Gobert.
Being a four time all-star, Green’s absence may have affected his team’s performance, as the Warriors ultimately lost. He is a key player to the team’s success, but his behavior has hurt his reputation in the past. Numerous outbursts and moments of uncontrolled emotions may lead people to ask, when is enough enough for Draymond Green?
- Stepping on Domantas Sabonis
Taking a look at his most recent action before Tuesday, Green was suspended during the Warriors’ playoff run last season for stepping on the chest of Kings’ center Domantas Sabonis. He then proceeded to yell at a cluster of Kings’ fans located behind the Warriors’ bench. He received an ejection moments after and his team went on to lose the game in his absence.
Although his suspension from the next game failed to affect his team’s performance, the way he stepped on Sabonis looked like it was with intent to hurt. The Kings’ center did grab Green’s leg, initiating the conflict, however, the damage was not done until the stomp. Green’s history may have helped the result of a suspension in his next game.
2. Conflict With Teammates
During the preseason of that same year, a video from a Warriors’ practice session took the internet by storm. It showcased Green knocking out his teammate Jordan Poole cold, with a right hook to the jaw. Poole looked as if he was showing a bit of lip to Green, which resulted in the latter getting physical.
Green walked up to Poole and bumped chests while Poole shoved Green away. The shove was enough for Green to throw a punch before getting piled with teammates and team staff. Green received an undisclosed fine, as there had been increasing frustration between the two leading up to the altercation. Fans were shocked by the footage, but almost not surprised that it was Green in trouble once again.
Green also got into a heated argument on the bench with his teammate at the time Kevin Durant during the 2018-19 season. After Green failed to pass Durant the ball in the final seconds of a game, sending it to overtime, tensions were high. The entirety of the time between regulation and overtime was spent with Green and Durant arguing.
The argument apparently continued in the locker room once the game was over, and may have played a big part in Durant leaving the Warriors after that season. Green was suspended for one game after the argument, as the beef continued between the players.
3. Playing With No Control
About a year before he threw hands with Poole, Green landed a jumping knee on Nuggets shooting guard Austin Rivers during a preseason game. He received criticism for playing over the top defense during a low stakes game, and causing a reckless play which could have injured Rivers. He received only a flagrant foul and was not ejected, but many believed the three time Defensive Player of the Year should do better.
Before he earned that accolade, there was another incident where he seemed to lose control of his limbs. Green was ejected on Christmas Day of 2013 for elbowing Clippers’ power forward Blake Griffin while guarding him closely. This served as Green’s first ejection from a game and perhaps a motif for how his career would play out.
Green has also gotten into it with multiple Cleveland Cavaliers’ players. As his Warriors faced the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals four years straight, plenty of room for altercations has appeared. He once took a swipe at Cavs shooting guard Iman Shumpert’s head on a tip-off during the 2017 Finals. There have also been multiple conflicts with King James himself throughout the Finals.
4. Antics With Lebron James
During game one of the 2018 Finals, Green was accused of poking Lebron James in the eye. Lebron’s attempted drive toward the basket resulted in him crashing to the floor, after Green defended by extending his arms. The play was a poor defensive effort by Green, as it appeared he intentionally grabbed James’ face.
It resulted in a foul, but was upgraded to a technical foul, his fourth of the playoffs, due to Green arguing the call. Once again, he let his emotions get the better of him and may not only took out some anger physically but verbally as well. This was not his only incident with James during the NBA Finals.
In 2016, Green appeared to take a swipe at Lebron’s groin as the Cavaliers all-star was stepping over him. This led to the two of them yelling and shoving at each other during the middle of a play. Green took two swipes, the first of which made contact with Lebron’s groin while the second failed to connect.
Both men were given fouls for the conflict between them as the arguing continued after the play was halted. Green was eventually suspended in game five of that year’s NBA finals, after receiving too many flagrant fouls in the postseason. This was not the first time Green targeted the groins of other players, as a previous incident happened just weeks earlier.
5. Kicking Steven Adams……Twice
Game two of the 2016 Western Conference Finals saw Green kicking Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams in the groin during a drive to the bucket. A foul was not given but fans still believed the play was dirty and perhaps on purpose. Green’s intentions were made far more clear during the next game as Oklahoma City played hosts.
During game three, Green attempted a similar drive to the bucket, but ended up kicking Adams in the groin again on his jump. However, this time there was a follow through with his leg, making it look very clearly with intent. Adams remained queasy on the floor for a minute while the call was reviewed. The play resulted in the home crowd chanting “kick him out,” however, Green remained in the game.
Green proved he can be a repeat offender, after committing the same act two games in a row. The only difference being the second time he missed the bucket, creating a stronger motive for kicking Adams. Green was lucky that he was not ejected or further suspended due to this. As mentioned before, he did miss part of the NBA finals that season due to accumulated flagrants.
6. Trouble Off the Court
There have been a few conflicts outside of the game that Green has also been involved in. He punched a Michigan State football player in 2016 and was fined $650 after initially being arrested. Green also faced backlash after using obscene language to describe ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins on his podcast.
He started beef for no reason with former UFC champion, Conor McGregor, after Green thought he was wearing his jersey in preparation for his fight with Floyd Mayweather. McGregor called him out after as it was apparently a jersey of a Warriors’ former #23, C.J. Watson. Finally, even coach Steve Kerr has commented about how he is tired of Green’s antics. If it were not for his playing abilities, some fans may be wondering if he would still be in the league.
Say what you want about him, Green has continued to prove he is amongst the league’s best defensive players. With that in mind, he has shown continuous cause for suspensions through his careless actions. It almost seems like he takes his actions as a joke, when in reality, he could have hurt many people.
Far more incidents have occurred that aren’t listed including an attempted elbow to the head of Chris Paul. If that elbow landed, it may have put Green in serious trouble. He may be a future Hall of Famer due to his accolades and playing style, but his overall reputation is undoubtedly teetered by his actions.
It is likely that for his headlock against Gobert he could face up to a 10 game suspension, ESPN NBA analyst Jay Williams said. That is the longest suspension he could face in his career. With two ejections already this season, it may be good for Green to have time to reevaluate, as he has appeared rather hotheaded as of late.
Overall, it will be interesting to see how Green responds to this suspension during and after. If the physical antics of Green continue throughout the season, he faces the threat of being traded, or even tossed around the league a little bit. Any more suspensions or ejections would make Green’s profit decrease immensely, and not only would he be hurting other players, but himself in the process.
