MINNEAPOLIS — During the Warriors’ 117-93 Game 2 loss to the Timberwolves, star forward Draymond Green picked up his fifth technical foul in nine playoff games so far.
After the game, Green issued a short statement to reporters in the visitor’s locker room.
“I’m not an angry Black man,” Green said. “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. The agenda to try to keep making me look like an angry Black man is crazy. I’m sick of it. It’s ridiculous.”
Green’s technical foul came in the second quarter after Naz Reid reached in and fouled the Warriors veteran. Green tried to sell the call by flailing, but elbowed Reid in the head while doing so.
As Green walked to the bench, the Target Center crowd erupted in “Draymond Sucks” chants. Last series in Houston, Rockets fans chanted “F– Draymond” multiple times.
Upon reviewing the play, the officials assessed a technical foul to Green. Players earn a one-game suspension for accruing either seven technical fouls or four flagrant points in a single postseason. Green is now two technicals and two flagrant points away from an automatic suspension.
After the referees announced Green’s technical, Green was so heated that Steph Curry — in street clothes because of his Grade 1 hamstring strain — walked over to midcourt to calm him down. Steve Kerr removed Green from the game to prevent the possibility of more penalties. Assistant coach Jerry Stackhouse and director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini were each seen chatting with Green on the bench at various points.
“He had gotten pretty upset and I just didn’t want him to get another technical, so I took him out at that point,” Kerr said. “I know he’s going to have to be careful now … He’s going to have to stay composed. Obviously we need him. And I’m confident that he will, because he knows the circumstances.”
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Draymond Green just wanted to give one quick postgame statement: “The agenda to continue to keep making me look like an angry black man is crazy. I’m sick of it. It’s ridiculous.” pic.twitter.com/ay7TLFhjWL
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 9, 2025
The competitive fire and intensity Green plays with is what fueled him to four All-Star selections, a Defensive Player of the Year Award and four NBA Championships. But when it boils over, it can get him into trouble.
Green was whistled for 17 technical fouls this regular season — third-most in the NBA. He has led the league in the category multiple times in his esteemed 13-year career.
Last season, the league suspended Green indefinitely for his on-court behavior. His two most infamous incidents included putting Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock and striking Suns center Jusuf Nurkic.
In 2022, Green punched then-teammate Jordan Poole during a practice and spent time away from the Warriors before rejoining the team.
Green’s poise in Game 7 of the Houston series and Game 1 against the Timberwolves was key for the Warriors. He admitted to his teammates in a meeting that he lost his composure against the Rockets and vowed to rectify it.
Then came his fifth technical foul.
There’s a sense within the Warriors locker room that the league singles out Green and victimizes him because of his reputation.
“It’s crazy,” Warriors wing Jimmy Butler said. “Every time he does something, it’s always a review, and it always ends up being something of that nature. But he’s got five. He knows he’s got five (playoff technicals). He knows how much we need him — now more than ever. So I don’t think he gets to seven.”