Visibly emotional Draymond Green launches passionate defence over ‘agenda’ and Jimmy Butler has own opinion
Draymond Green had something to say – used his post game locker room availability to say it. After the Golden State Warriors’ Game 2 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night, Green expressed his frustration over the “agenda” against him. Green issued a passionate defence of his behaviour@AnthonyVSlater After the Warriors were blown out by the Timberwolves, who leveled their Western Conference semifinal, Green was at his locker and delivered a passionate statement to reporters. The discussion was sparked after Minnesota’s Naz Ried fouled Green in the second quarter, the Warriors’ forward then flailed his left arm at his opponent and was issued another technical. With Green criticised for the technical which leaves him two short of receiving an automatic one-game suspension for a Warriors team already without the injured Steph Curry. Unhappy with how he is being portrayed, Green spoke to reporters. “Looked like the angry Black man,” Green said. “I’m not an angry Black man. I am a very successful, educated Black man with a great family, and I am great at basketball and great at what I do. “The agenda to try to keep making me look like an angry Black man is crazy. I’m sick of it. It’s ridiculous.” Jimmy Butler defended his teammate and claimed it was his reputation that sees calls go against him before saying he wasn’t worried about Green picking up a suspension. “No, I think he knows,” Butler said. “We all know. I thought he got fouled and was maybe trying to sell the call. Someone got hit, but it’s crazy. “Every time he does something, it’s always a review and always ends up being something of that nature. He knows how much we need him now more than ever. So I don’t think he gets to seven [technical fouls].” The incident with Reid blew up even further when Green got up from the bench and yelled at the officials, which led to the injured Steph Curry having to walk onto the court and calm him down. Warriors coach Steve Kerr then substituted Green to cool him off as he continued to argue with the referees. Green is no stranger to alterations on the basketball courtGETTY Green was once suspended for stomping on Domantas Sabonis’ chestGetty “I could see he had gotten pretty upset,” Kerr said. “And I just didn’t want him to get another technical, so I took him out at that point and I know he’s going to have to be careful now that he’s two techs away. “He’s going to have to stay composed. Obviously, we need him and I’m confident that he will because he knows the circumstances.” While Green has every right to present his side of the story, the 36-year-old has made a bit of a reputation for his erratic actions on the court. In Game 6 of the first round against the Houston Rockets, Green committed a flagrant foul just three minutes into a 115-107 loss, a moment he said he was “embarrassed by.” In total, Green has received six suspensions in his career, the most notable being the five-game ban he got for his headlock around Gobert’s head in 2023. In that same year, he also received a one-game suspension for stomping on Domantas Sabonis’ chest. The biggest blow-up came when he got an indefinite suspension for striking Jusuf Nurkic in the face, which would end up costing him 12 games. Altercations in the NBA are common yet Green seems to invite scrutiny. “It’s part of Draymond,” Kerr said on Green’s emotions. “It’s the same thing that makes him such a competitor and a winner, puts him over the top sometimes, and we know that and it’s our job to try to help him stay poised, stay composed.” With the series tied at 1-1, there is still all to play for, and Green will be critical in the Warriors’ efforts to advance to the next round. Game 3 takes place on Saturday in San Francisco as Golden State hosts the next two games.
Draymond Green had something to say – used his post game locker room availability to say it.
After the Golden State Warriors’ Game 2 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night, Green expressed his frustration over the “agenda” against him.
After the Warriors were blown out by the Timberwolves, who leveled their Western Conference semifinal, Green was at his locker and delivered a passionate statement to reporters.
The discussion was sparked after Minnesota’s Naz Ried fouled Green in the second quarter, the Warriors’ forward then flailed his left arm at his opponent and was issued another technical.
With Green criticised for the technical which leaves him two short of receiving an automatic one-game suspension for a Warriors team already without the injured Steph Curry.
Unhappy with how he is being portrayed, Green spoke to reporters.
“Looked like the angry Black man,” Green said.
“I’m not an angry Black man. I am a very successful, educated Black man with a great family, and I am great at basketball and great at what I do.
“The agenda to try to keep making me look like an angry Black man is crazy. I’m sick of it. It’s ridiculous.”
Jimmy Butler defended his teammate and claimed it was his reputation that sees calls go against him before saying he wasn’t worried about Green picking up a suspension.
“No, I think he knows,” Butler said. “We all know. I thought he got fouled and was maybe trying to sell the call. Someone got hit, but it’s crazy.
“Every time he does something, it’s always a review and always ends up being something of that nature. He knows how much we need him now more than ever. So I don’t think he gets to seven [technical fouls].”
The incident with Reid blew up even further when Green got up from the bench and yelled at the officials, which led to the injured Steph Curry having to walk onto the court and calm him down.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr then substituted Green to cool him off as he continued to argue with the referees.
“I could see he had gotten pretty upset,” Kerr said.
“And I just didn’t want him to get another technical, so I took him out at that point and I know he’s going to have to be careful now that he’s two techs away.
“He’s going to have to stay composed. Obviously, we need him and I’m confident that he will because he knows the circumstances.”
While Green has every right to present his side of the story, the 36-year-old has made a bit of a reputation for his erratic actions on the court.
In Game 6 of the first round against the Houston Rockets, Green committed a flagrant foul just three minutes into a 115-107 loss, a moment he said he was “embarrassed by.”
In total, Green has received six suspensions in his career, the most notable being the five-game ban he got for his headlock around Gobert’s head in 2023.
In that same year, he also received a one-game suspension for stomping on Domantas Sabonis’ chest.
The biggest blow-up came when he got an indefinite suspension for striking Jusuf Nurkic in the face, which would end up costing him 12 games.
Altercations in the NBA are common yet Green seems to invite scrutiny.
“It’s part of Draymond,” Kerr said on Green’s emotions.
“It’s the same thing that makes him such a competitor and a winner, puts him over the top sometimes, and we know that and it’s our job to try to help him stay poised, stay composed.”
With the series tied at 1-1, there is still all to play for, and Green will be critical in the Warriors’ efforts to advance to the next round.
Game 3 takes place on Saturday in San Francisco as Golden State hosts the next two games.
