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In the 2010s, the Golden State Warriors established one of the most impressive dynasties in basketball history by winning a title three times over the course of five consecutive years where they represented the Western Conference in the NBA Finals.
Like many recent champions, the team relied on a “Big Three” comprised of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green to transform into an incredibly dominant force.
Curry has understandably received the bulk of the credit for Golden State’s sustained success due to his unreal offensive prowess, but Green has also carried his fair share of the load thanks in no small part to his impressive abilities on offense.
However, the man who’s racked up around $1 million in fines over the course of his NBA career has attracted his fair share of controversy since entering the league—and he once again found himself in hot water after getting ejected thanks to the Flagrant 2 he received for stomping on Domantas Sabonis’ chest during Game 2 of the first-round series between the Spurs and the Kings.
Draymond Green was given a Flagrant 2 after stepping on Domas' chest. pic.twitter.com/4V2HOUphYI
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 18, 2023
Green attempted to defend himself after the contest by arguing he was simply reacting to having his leg grabbed, although plenty of NBA fans felt that excuse left a bit to be desired.
Draymond Green: “My leg got grabbed. Second time in two nights.” Said he needed to put his foot somewhere but officials told him he “stomped too hard.”
Full soundbite pic.twitter.com/nmQj8tP0yC
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 18, 2023
While he did have some notable names in his corner (including Damian Lillard and Shaquille O’Neal), it’s not that hard to figure out why he didn’t get the benefit of the doubt from the refs and his many critics when you take a look at some of his other questionable behavior over the years.
The many, many ways Draymond Green earned a reputation as a dirty player
You don’t need to be a diehard NBA fan to know Green has had a bit of trouble keeping his emotions in check; after all, we’re talking about a guy who punched one of his own teammates at practice after the two of them butted heads.
Green made his NBA debut with the Warriors in 2012, and while he wasn’t exactly the cleanest player in the league during his first few seasons with Golden State, things really started to snowball in 2016.
That year, Green was hit with a $25,000 fine for kicking Steven Adams in the groin during the Western Conference Final, and he was forced to sit out a game in the ensuing NBA Finals after hitting LeBron James in the family jewels (he’d also managed to kick Kyrie Irving in the neck in the first game of the series).
His inability (or, depending on how you look at things, refusal) to control his legs also led to him kicking James Harden in the head in the first half of the following season, and the guard once again found himself on the receiving end of a blow delivered by Green in the Western Conference Final in 2018.
Green was also accused of purposefully poking LeBron in the eye when the Cavaliers and the Warriors met again in the Finals that year, and plenty of fans thought he tried (and failed) to elbow Chris Paul in the head during a playoff showdown in 2019.
Those are just the most notable examples when it comes to highlighting Green’s history of dirty behavior, so while he may genuinely think the Sabonis incident was overblown, he’s not really doing himself any favors if he’s trying to rehabilitate that image.