Subscribe
Follow Us
Draymond Green is a defensive workhorse, offensive facilitator and team leader/energizer. He has played a vital role in the Golden State Warriors winning four championships in the last decade and advancing to the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs. The veteran forward has also been excessively physical, unnecessarily combative or even dirty at various points during his 13-year professional career. One must acknowledge both the good and bad.
Green may not like the media's depiction of him, but the 35-year-old has undoubtedly lost his temper at times. He did so again in Thursday's 117-93 Game 2 loss versus the Minnesota Timberwolves. Green was given a technical foul after hitting Naz Reid in the face. The latter initially committed a reach-in foul, and the former wildly swung his arm while ostensibly trying to sell the contact. Regardless of what the four-time All-Star's intent was on the play, the officials were within their rights to penalize him.
He did not take kindly to the decision, as he picked up his fifth technical of the postseason. An irate Green emphatically complained to the referee, using obvious curse words to voice his displeasure. No further punishment was doled out, though. Following the contest, Green expressed his frustration with the perception of him, going as far as to decry what he considers to be an “agenda.”
“I'm not an angry Black man,” Green told reporters, via ClutchPoints. “I'm a very successful, educated Black man with a great family. And I'm great at basketball. I'm great at what I do. The agenda to keep making me look like an angry Black man is crazy. I’m sick of it. It’s ridiculous.”
"i'm not an angry black man. I'm a very successful, educated black man… I'm great at what I do… The agenda to keep making me look like an angry black man is crazy. I’m sick of it. It’s ridiculous.”
— Draymond Green 🗣️
(via @anthonyVslater)pic.twitter.com/HtgKxhNZhT
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 9, 2025
Warriors are counting on Draymond Green
Perhaps the former Defensive Player of the Year can argue that officials have treated him differently on occasion due to the reputation he has earned over the years. But people can be both educated and angry. Again, there are positives and negatives to the Draymond Green experience. The Warriors can attest to that, as his on-court indiscretions resulted in a costly suspension last season.
Article Continues Below
*Update: A fan was ejected from Target Center for directing “racially charged comments” at Green while he was riding the stationary bike in the fourth quarter. Another alleged offender left the are before being identified. The Timberwolves issued a statement, declaring that they are still investigating the incident. This information presumably adds more context to the player's impassioned postgame comments.
Racist remarks should not be tolerated whatsoever. Obviously, if the accusations are correct, Green was justifiably upset. He still lost his composure on the court before the incident is said to have occurred, which is an issue that he has been unable to properly address for years now.
The 2012 second-round draft pick clearly blew a fuse when cussing out the ref on Thursday, prompting the injured Stephen Curry to come over to calm him down. This is hardly the first time, either. His importance to Golden State is as critical as ever, especially since Curry's status moving forward is unknown.
At best, the Michigan State alum acted recklessly when connecting with Reid's face/head area. A narrative does not need to be created to see that much. If Green is assessed two more techs, he will incur an automatic one-game suspension. The Warriors desperately hope he will embody the qualities that have made him an indispensable future Hall of Famer while suppressing the ones that have made him possibly the most polarizing player of his era.
Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Dubs and Timberwolves takes place on Saturday in the Chase Center (series tied 1-1).
