Warriors star Draymond Green says he is ‘sick’ of the ‘ridiculous’ attempts to make him look like ‘an angry black man’.
He was speaking in the locker room after receiving a fifth technical of this postseason as Golden State was beaten by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.
During the second quarter, Green was penalized for an apparent elbow to the face of Minnesota’s Naz Reid. He then exploded at the referees, prompting boos at Target Center.
Eventually, Green’s Golden State teammate including Stephen Curry were forced to calm him down on the sidelines.
The 35-year-old is two technical fouls away from a one-game suspension. That would represent a huge blow for the Warriors, who are already without the injured Curry.
Head coach Steve Kerr warned Green that he must be ‘careful’ moving forward but the forward believes he is the victim of an ‘agenda’.
Draymond Green was penalized for an apparent elbow to the face of Minnesota’s Naz Reid
The Golden State Warriors star exploded at the officials over the decision on Thursday night
His Warriors teammates including Stephen Curry were forced to step in and calm Green down
‘I’m not an angry black man, 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,’ he said, per The Athletic.
‘The agenda to continue to keep making me look like an angry black man is crazy. I’m sick of it. It’s ridiculous.’
Only one player in NBA history – Rasheed Wallace – has more ejections than Green (23). In December 2023, the 35-year-old was given an indefinite suspension by the NBA for striking Suns star Jusuf Nurkic in the face.
It was his third ejection of the season and the NBA said the punishment took into account ‘Green’s repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts’.
After the defeat in Minneapolis, Kerr told The Athletic: ‘He’s going to have to be careful… he’s going to have to stay composed and I’m confident he will because he knows the circumstances.’
On Thursday night, Julius Randle had 24 points and 11 assists as the Timberwolves capitalized on Curry’s absence to secure a 117-93 win that ties the second-round playoff series at one game apiece.
Curry is sidelined by a left hamstring strain that will likely keep him out at least until next week.
