Getty Image / Ezra Shaw
Draymond Green is one of the most controversial players of his generation. The Golden State Warriors forward is almost certainly going to the Hall of Fame as one of the best defensive players ever and a key cog on four NBA championship teams. But, his temper and unsportsmanlike acts have got in the way of what could have been his legacy.
The seven-time NBA All-Defense selection is always getting into altercations and costing his team in various ways. Most notable is the suspension he suffered for game 4 of the 2016 NBA finals after hitting LeBron James in the groin in game 5. It was his third flagrant 1 foul of the postseason, thus the suspension. We all know the rest. The Cavs won that game in Oakland to make that series 3-2, and would come back and win the series, 4-3, over the 73-win Warriors.
At the beginning of this season, Draymond Green famously got in an altercation with teammate Jordan Poole that resulted in Green punching him and leaving the team for awhile.
And now, he may have cost the Warriors the season, as he has been suspended for game 3 of their series against the Sacramento Kings. The Kings lead the series 2-0.
Draymond Green is suspended for Game 3, NBA says: pic.twitter.com/fdiqBaa4lq
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) April 19, 2023
The suspension stems from this incident from game two where Draymond Green stomped on Kings star Domantas Sabonis.
That feels like something Draymond Green will be ejected and possibly even suspended moving forward… pic.twitter.com/HaAzrHXhkT
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) April 18, 2023
And, after the incident, he taunted the crowd to dig himself even more of a hole.
Draymond Green stomps on Domantas Sabonis and then acts like this with NBA commissioner Adam Silver in attendance. pic.twitter.com/To9igwXUBA
— Jason Anderson (@JandersonSacBee) April 18, 2023
Yeah, not good. And, the wording of the suspension is interesting.
This is a revealing sentence in the league's release on the Draymond suspension for Game 3…
"The suspension was based in part on Green's history of unsportsmanlike acts."
There's this, too. The Commissioner had quite a view of Green's choice to escalate with the crowd. https://t.co/EHAWbDyBT9
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) April 19, 2023
It’s a must-win game 3 for the Warriors, as no team in NBA history has won a series when trailing 3-0.
Game 3 is on Thursday in San Francisco.