5 Reasons Why Draymond Green’s Suspension Isn’t That Much Of A Surprise
It’s playoff time in the NBA, which means yet another installment of the annual “Drama with Draymond (Green)” series.
The latest spectacle involving the four-time All-Star involves him stomping on the chest of Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis in Golden State’s Game 1 loss to the Sacramento Kings.
The incident was yet another reminder of Green’s long, sordid history with incidents that blur the line that exists between being viewed as a competitor versus a dirty player which was a factor in Green being suspended for Golden State’s Game 3 matchup against Sacramento Thursday night (April 20).
So how does the “Sacramento stomp” stack up to previous indiscretions by Green?
Here, we take a look at five of Green’s greatest hits (or kicks, pushes, shoves, etc.) and let you be the judge.
Jordan Poole punched in the face during October, 2022 practice
Of all the Draymond Green incidents, few were as shocking as what we witnessed last October when he viciously punched teammate Jordan Poole in the face during a Warriors practice. Green was fined by the Warriors for the incident, and spent a few days away from the team.
Steven Adams hit in the groin twice, 2016 Western Conference Finals
In the second quarter of Game 3 of the 2016 Western Conference finals, Green drove to the basket where he was fouled. Following the shot attempt, he extended his right leg and kicked Steven Adams in the groin area. This stood out for obvious reasons. But not so obvious to the casual watcher, was that this was the second time in that series Green had committed such an act against Adams. “I followed through on a shot,” Green told reporters at that time. “I'm not trying to kick somebody in the midsection. Somebody wants to have kids someday. I'm not trying to end that on the basketball court.
LeBron James hit in the groin in Game 4 of 2016 NBA Finals
Golden State’s Stephen Curry had the ball in hand, with Green approaching to set a screen on LeBron James. Green and James got tangled, with Green falling to the floor. James tried to walk over Green who threw what appeared to be a short punch towards James’ groin area. James, visibly bothered, got in Green’s face as the play continued and the two tussled for position near the rim. The two ratcheted up their physicality before being separated by players and game officials.
Patrick Beverely suffers knee to the face, 2019
Maybe one of the wilder sequences, even by Green drama standards, played out in Game 5 between Golden State and the Los Angeles Clippers. Patrick Beverely’s shoe came off, but he had it in hand while defending Green who tried to back Beverely down in the paint. Beverely draws the charge. A visibly upset Green begins to walk over Beverely and delivers a knee to Beverley’s face on the play which was slightly more disrespectful than the iconic image of Allen Iverson walking over then-Lakes guard Tyronn Lue in the 2001 NBA Finals. The Clippers would win Game 5, but lose the series in six games.
Hard foul delivered to Kawhi Leonard, 2021
With the score tied at 93 with less than five minutes to play, Leonard attacked the rim with Green providing help-side defense. Leonard attempted to finish at the rim, only for Green to grab his arm resulting in Leonard hitting the floor hard. Leonard, a man of large hands and few words spoken, had a brief verbal exchange with Green in voicing his displeasure with the hard foul.