Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was ejected for the second time in three games Tuesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Green’s ejection came less than two minutes into the game after he put Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold. It came after a spat between teammate Klay Thompson and Minnesota forward Jaden McDaniels. All three were ultimately tossed from the game with Green receiving a Flagrant 2 for his latest on-court exploits.
One day later, and the NBA has handed down a whopping five-game suspension for the embattled Green due to his actions Tuesday night inside the Chase Center in San Francisco.
It really shouldn’t come as a surprise that the NBA came down hard on Green. He’s well known for his on-court actions since the Michigan State product entered the Association back in 2012. But putting your hands around the neck of an opponent was the final straw for Adam Silver and Co.
Draymond Green’s suspension, history and what it means
By being suspended five games, Green has been put on notice by the NBA. Further exploits will end up leading to a longer-term ban from the powers that be in New Jersey.
It’s just the latest of several examples of Green’s temper geting the best of him on the court during the four-time NBA champion’s otherwise brilliant career.
2023 NBA Playoffs: Green was suspended for a game in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs against the Sacramento Kings when he stomped on All-Star Domantas Sabonis’ chest in Game 2.
2022-23: Green was suspended a game for passing the technical foul threshold of 16 during a March game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
2022-23: Green was fined by the Warriors for punching then-teammate Jordan Poole during training camp practice. While he was not suspended, the big man did take a leave of absence. Ultimately, the Warriors were forced to trade Poole this past summer because he couldn’t coexist with Green.
- Draymond Green stats (2023-24): 9.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 6.4 APG, 48% shooting
2018-19: Green was suspended one game by the Warriors for an altercation with then-teammate Kevin Durant. Green and KD had an altercation on the bench late in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. This is one of the primary reasons that Durant left Golden State for the Brooklyn Nets during the summer of 2019.
2016 NBA Finals: The most-famous of Draymond Green’s on-court antics came during Game 4 of the 2016 NBA Finals against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Green made contact with James’ groin area during a tangle up between the two. Green was called for Flagrant 1 foul after the fact and was ultimately suspended for Game 5 because he had already racked up three flagrants during the postseason that year. Up 3-1 in the series, Golden State would go on to blow it with the Cavs winning three consecutive.