The Golden State Warriors are easily one of the most-loved teams of this generation. Stephen Curry, the face of the franchise, has all the makings of a captivating superstar, and he has been winning all sorts of fans over ever since he came to relevance in the early-/mid-2010's.
Nonetheless, the Dubs have had their fair share of dark moments, too. Below we outline five of the most controversial scandals this franchise has ever been involved in. Things get pretty juicy so be sure to be in a comfortable state while reading.
Kyle Lowry Shoving Incident
This incident transpired during the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. Game 3 took place in Golden State's famed Oracle Arena, and in the heat of battle, a fan got into it with Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry. As it turns out, this was no ordinary fan, as it was actually Warriors minority owner Mark Stevens. Here's a look at the incident in question.
Stevens clearly pushed the Raptors guard, and according to Lowry himself, Stevens even told him multiple time to “go F yourself.” The league ended up banning Stevens from home games for a full year, and fined him a hefty $500,000 fine.
Iguodala 2018 Leg Injury
In the 2018 Western Conference Finals, the Dubs were pitted against James Harden and the Houston Rockets in what turned out to be an all-0ut war that took seven games to decide a winner. One of their best players at that time, Andre Iguodala, ended up missing Games 4 through 7 due to a leg injury, which the Dubs labelled as a bone bruise. Years later, Warriors big man Kevon Looney admitted that the team had questioned the actual severity of Iguodala's injury.
However, Iguodala hit back at the Dubs, saying that his injury was much worse than what the team had diagnosed at that time. The veteran even admitted that he was “fighting with the team” about it. Surely, it wasn't a great feeling for him to have his loyalty and fortitude questioned.
Nevertheless, Iguodala was able to return in the last two games of the Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Dubs ended up sweeping LeBron James and tha Cavs for championship No. 3.
Mark Jackson Extortion Case
Now one of the more prominent ESPN analysts, former Rookie of the Year winner and one-time All-Star Mark Jackson served as the head coach of the Dubs for three seasons between 2012 and 2014.
In 2012, Jackson himself admitted that he had been in an extramarital affair with an ex-stripper. He apparently tried to pay off the woman in order for her not to release some nude photos of Jackson and herself during their time together as a couple some six years earlier. Things got so bad that Jackson had to go to the FBI to file a felony criminal complaint against the alleged extortionist.
The Warriors released a statement to offer their full support for Jackson. Two years later, the Dubs fired Jackson after three rather unsuccessful years with the team.
Draymond Green vs. Kevin Durant
Tempers flared between then-teammates Draymond Green and Kevin Durant during a testy matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers in 2018. Green verbally attacked Durant with some NSFW language after an on-court misunderstanding. Below is a great clip of the full incident.
Green was visibly upset, while Durant was clearly hurt by the unsavory things Green was yelling at him. You can see how Iguodala and head coach Steve Kerr tried to pacify Durant after the exchange, which makes it even more evident that Green had crossed a line.
Things spiraled out of control after this incident, with all sorts of stories coming out. One of the most interesting ones say how this was the turning point for Durant and his decision to jump ship at the end of the following season.
Latrell Sprewell Choking Incident
6-foot-5 swingman Latrell Sprewell was one of the most popular players on the Warriors during his stint between 1992 and 1998. His time with the team could not have ended in a more terrible way, though, as he ended up being suspended for a huge chunk of the 1997-98 campaign following a choking incident with then-assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo during practice.
Carlesimo criticized Sprewell for a poor sequence — as a coach ought to — but the latter was having none of it. He ended up choking the coach for “7 to 10 seconds” before the two were separated. Not done yet, Sprewell then punched Carlesimo in the face.
The Warriors front office took swift action, and eventually voided the remainder of Sprewell's contract, which was worth $23.7 million for the next three years. The NBA also suspended the four-time All-Star for the rest of the year.
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