Draymond Green: His biggest scandals and missteps for the Golden State Warriors

Green has ranked in the top 5 for technical fouls year after year since 2016, and the Warriors forward has conceded 163 technicals since 2012 (including playoffs). That sounds a lot at first, but Karl Malone remains the leader in this category with an incredible 332 Ts.

Green has built a reputation as a bad boy over the years, paying nearly $1.3 million in fines. It’s good for him that he’s already earned $155 million from his salaries.

Draymond Green: Elbow to Blake Griffin (2013)

Green, then still a reservist under the then coach Mark Jackson, first became conspicuous in a Christmas game of all things. As the game progressed, Green elbowed Blake Griffin in the face late in the third quarter.

Green received a flagrant 2 foul for an automatic ejection. Because he subsequently took too long to leave the field, the NBA imposed an additional $15,000 fine. Green should fight hot duels with Griffin for years, it wasn’t always clean.

Draymond Green: Flagrant Foul gegen Steven Adams (Playoffs 2016)

Green first caused a stir in 2016 when the Warriors went into the playoffs as a towering favorite after a 73-9 season. In Game 3 of the Conference Finals against OKC, Green kicked in an unsuccessful attempt to call a foul, Thunder center Steven Adams with full force in a particularly sensitive area.

The NBA imposed a fine and the referees ruled it Flagrant-1. Notable: Adams hardly complained about the play.

Draymond Green: Flagrant Foul gegen LeBron James (Finals 2016)

What followed was probably Green’s most famous dropout, which possibly changed the history of the NBA forever. In Game 4 of the Finals, the Warriors were leading by +10 in Cleveland and a 2-1 series lead when Green clashed with LeBron James. The Cavs star stepped over the prone Green, who unleashed a swing toward LeBron’s groin.

The NBA subsequently classified this as a flagrant foul (which cost Green $140,000), it was Green’s fourth in the postseason, which is why the Warriors forward had to sit out a game. Cleveland reduced to 2-3 in Green’s absence and still turned the series around.

Would Kevin Durant really have joined the reigning champion a few months later? We will never know …

Draymond Green: The Karate Kicks Against Harden and Chriss (2016)

Green and his legs – it should always be a topic. The Warriors fought some thrilling duels with the Houston Rockets – and Green was always right in the middle. In an overtime game against Houston, Green actually managed to kick Harden on the head during a dunk attempt.

It doesn’t have to be intentional, but actions like this are becoming more frequent. Just two days later, in a three-pointer against Phoenix marquese Chriss, Green kicked Chriss’ butt and caught his hand in the process, dislocating a finger for the Suns center.

Green, of course, was not aware of any guilt. “A lot of the people who make up the rules don’t even come to the ring, yet they want to tell you what direction your body should move when you’re in the air,” he wrote on Twitter.

Even the wives of other NBA stars were now afraid, such as Lauren Miles, wife of CJ Miles: “I just hope he doesn’t kick my husband in the balls. We want to have children one day”, wrote this after the incidents on Twitter.

Draymond Green: The “Fight” Against Bradley Beal (2017)

But Green isn’t just good with his feet, he’s also always up for a little scuffle. So also in 2017 against Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards. To save our honor: Beal started this with a punch against Green, who of course put up with it.

After the game, Green was upset about the ejection and felt unfairly treated. “What should I have done?” he asked. “I was hit twice by him. Man, you learn that as a child that you can’t allow that.” Also, Green suspected he was ejected just because of his reputation. This cost an extra $25,000.

Draymond Green vs. Referees (2018)

2017/18 was the season of referee criticism anyway. Green was fined a total of $75,000 for such offenses, including $50,000 after a game against Oklahoma City when he repeatedly called referee Lauren Holtkamp a “b*tch.” This had ejected the forward with two technical fouls, after he didn’t stop talking to her after a whistle.

Draymond Green vs. LeBron James Part Two (2018)

As good friends as Green and LeBron are, that friendship rests on the field. In LeBron’s feat, when he posted 51 points in Game 1, the king played at times with a bloodshot eyewhich he picked up against Green.

The Warriors star caught LeBron in the eye on a drive in the first half. Many assumed the 33-year-old was intentional, the referees didn’t see it that way and only gave Green a technical foul because he complained too much about the whistle against him.

Draymond Green: The Scandal with Kevin Durant (2018)

Green’s argument with teammate Durant at an away game with the Clippers also caused a stir. After Green ignored Durant in crunch time, the two argued for minutes during a time-out, and things probably continued in the dressing room, there was talk of a “hostile” atmosphere. “We don’t need you, we’ve already won without you,” Green reportedly said to Durant, then an aspiring free agent.

The Warriors suspended Green for one game, but Durant was done with it the next day anyway. “What happened stays internal. That’s how we do it here,” Durant explained. “I’m not going to make headlines here. What happened happened.” At the end of the season, Durant left the Bay Area and joined the Brooklyn Nets.

Draymond Green: Tampering im TV (2020)

But Green also managed to rack up fines despite not playing at all. TNT signed Green as a bubble play expert after the Warriors failed to qualify. On his podcast, Green praised the rising Phoenix Suns but also advised Devin Booker that he should leave the Suns.

When host Ernie Johnson then followed up and asked the question, as to whether this might be tampering, Green replied “maybe.” The NBA definitely saw it and pocketed $50,000.

Draymond Green: Middle Finger for Grizzlies Fans (2022)

Dillon Brooks and Green’s feud began last year when the Grizzlies and Warriors met in the second round of the playoffs. In game 1 Green was ejected for a hard foul on Brandon Clarke, in game 2 Green conceded an elbow himself early in the game and had to go into the dressing room.

As he did so, all sorts of niceties were thrown at him, Green acknowledged this with two middle fingers in the direction of the audience. “You’re booed because you take an elbow and bleed? You have to freak out. It felt good,” Green commented on his departure, which cost him another $25,000.

Draymond Green: The Everlasting Podcast Theme (2022)

Speaking of Dillon Brooks. Green has been having some arguments with this for a long time, recently in his own podcast. This has always caused controversy in the past, even within the Warriors it should not go down well with everyone that Green maintains it in addition to his actual “work” as a basketball player.

After Game 2 against the Boston Celtics, Green was asked if he might reveal too many Warriors strategy secrets, prompting Green to question the reporter’s IQ. It’s all about defending shots,” Green replied. “If that’s tactics for you, you’re going to get lost there,” continued the Warriors star. “But thank you for the free promo for my podcast. It’s called The Draymond Green Show. Please name it that next time.”

Draymond Green: The Jordan Poole Brawl (2022)

In all of the incidents, the Warriors ultimately stood behind Green (exception: the Durant scandal resulted in a one-game suspension), but after the brawl with teammate Jordan Poole, doubts arose. The problem with this: The scene was filmed during a training session in the preseason and then leaked.

The background: Poole was close to a contract extension, while Green had to wait and still does. It didn’t reflect well on the 33-year-old, whose future with the Warriors has been more open than ever since the move. After all, Poole and Green reconciled after a brief absence from Green, the season proceeded smoothly with no further incidents between the two.