{"id":138745,"date":"2025-05-09T13:51:17","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T17:51:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=138745"},"modified":"2025-05-09T13:54:43","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T17:54:43","slug":"draymond-green-dirty-plays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/09\/draymond-green-dirty-plays\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Times Draymond Green Proved He is a Dirty Player"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/greendr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Draymond Green <\/a>has always been one of the most controversial players in the league, especially given his history of dirty plays. In Game 2 of the Golden Warriors series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Green picked up his fifth technical foul of the playoffs after elbowing Naz Reid, and is now on the verge of being suspended. After the game, he talked about how there is an agenda against him. Is he right? However, Draymond&#8217;s history of dirty plays should disprove his claims. Let\u2019s take a look at five times when Green made a play that gave him a reputation for being a dirty player.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Draymond Green:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not an angry black man\u2026 I\u2019m great at basketball, I\u2019m great at what I do\u2026the agenda of trying to make me look like an angry black man is crazy. I\u2019m sick of it. It\u2019s ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>(via <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/anthonyVslater?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@anthonyVslater<\/a>)<a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0oRh5wSh4k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/0oRh5wSh4k<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LegionHoops\/status\/1920701539833831655?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 9, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>5 Times Draymond Green Proved He is a Dirty Player<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_138753\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-138753\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26128532_168404824_lowres-scaled.jpg\" target=\"_self\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-138753\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26128532_168404824_lowres-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26128532_168404824_lowres-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26128532_168404824_lowres-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26128532_168404824_lowres-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26128532_168404824_lowres-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26128532_168404824_lowres-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26128532_168404824_lowres-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26128532_168404824_lowres-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-138753\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">May 8, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half during game two of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Kicking Steven Adams in the Groin<\/h3>\n<p>In Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Warriors, Draymond infamously kicked <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/adamsst01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Steven Adams<\/a> in the groin. In the next round, in the Finals, Draymond made a foul on LeBron and cost the Warriors the Finals.<\/p>\n<p>But let\u2019s go back to the moment he kicked Adams in the groin. The play happened midway through the second quarter. Green was trying to drive to the paint, and during a shot, he unintentionally kicked Adams while trying to shoot. Draymond received a flagrant foul 1, which was upgraded to a flagrant 2, and he was fined.<\/p>\n<p>That is not even the worst part. It was the second time in the series that Green hit Adams. He did it before with a knee in Game 2. This is one of the reasons why Draymond is not liked in Oklahoma City. At the time, Green said he wasn\u2019t trying to hurt Adams, but that he was following through on a shot.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Draymond Green Kicks Steven Adams in the Groin in Game 3!\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UY2Ytai4a2M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Catching James Harden By the Throat<\/h3>\n<p>In the 2018 playoffs, Green got a technical foul just a minute into Game 1 of the series against the Houston Rockets. After <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hardeja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Harden<\/a> scored a basket, Green caught him by the throat while trying to inbound the ball.<\/p>\n<p>After the foul, Green spent a lot of time arguing and complaining about the call. It was a clear, flagrant foul, and he was lucky they didn\u2019t toss him out of the game.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Draymond Green catches James Harden on the throat, gets technical foul just 1:07 into Game 1 | ESPN\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_Bioieiz6fA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Dangerous Foul on Kawhi Leonard<\/h3>\n<p>Draymond Green gets credit for playing hard-nosed, get-in-your-face defense, but sometimes, he commits way too many <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/06\/draymond-dillon-brooks-beef-continues\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">dirty plays<\/a>. For example, in 2021 when he grabbed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/leonaka01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kawhi Leonard<\/a>. Draymond wrapped his fingers around Leonard\u2019s arms and then pulled him in the opposite direction. It was a completely unnecessary foul. Draymond would say he was trying to interrupt the shot attempt, but the foul was more dangerous and could have easily resulted in an injury. He received a flagrant foul for this play.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Draymond Green with a dangerous foul on Kawhi Leonard\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XniQpXH1WGc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Draymond Chokes Rudy Gobert<\/h3>\n<p>In November 2023, Jaden McDaniels and Klay Thompson got into an altercation early in the game. As Rudy Gobert defended his teammate, Draymond came out of nowhere and put him in a headlock. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/05\/draymond-green-rudy-gobert-beef\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Green and Gobert<\/a> have a long-standing beef, and he pounced on a chance to make a play against him. Undoubtedly, this is one of the more controversial and dirty Draymond plays. He was suspended for five games after this infamous cheap shot.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Draymond Green headlocks Rudy Gobert after Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels fight \ud83d\ude33\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LQb8dK4MC-E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Draymond Green Hits Jusuf Nurkic<\/h3>\n<p>This is one of the most recent dirty plays by Draymond Green. It happened last year, and Green was suspended indefinitely after the play. He had to go through therapy. The suspension ended up lasting three weeks, and he missed 12 games due to it.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.startribune.com\/warriors-draymond-green-tells-reporters-hes-tired-of-portrayal-as-an-angry-black-man\/601348430\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SportsRadar<\/a>, Draymond has a total of 202 technical fouls throughout his career. At least one-fifth of those were dangerous plays and out-of-line plays. He already has five technical fouls in the playoffs. If he continues with this type of play, he will surely be <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/06\/draymond-green-technical-fouls\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">suspended<\/a>. And the Warriors right now cannot afford that, especially with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/curryst01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Steph Curry<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/08\/steph-curry-speaks-on-when-he-may-return-in-playoffs-how-will-the-warriors-navigate-his-absence\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">being out<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Draymond Green gets ejected for swinging and hitting Jusuf Nurkic in the head \ud83d\ude33\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qktx_T4AOPM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/n\/nurkiju01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jusuf Nurkic<\/a> incident is probably the worst of all. As Jusuf was defending Draymond, the Warriors forward hit him with a punch in the head. You might say this is a type of behavior you can expect from teenagers. But he is a 30-year-old man. So, while he can talk about the agenda all day long, the reality is that Draymond Green is no stranger to dirty plays.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Featured image: \u00a9 Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Draymond Green has always been one of the most controversial players in the league, especially given his history of dirty plays. In Game 2 of the Golden Warriors series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Green picked up his fifth technical foul of the playoffs after elbowing Naz Reid, and is now on the verge of being [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5291,"featured_media":138754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,25,62,3],"tags":[409,444,135,168,394,543],"class_list":["post-138745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-warriors","category-nba","category-news","tag-draymond-green","tag-james-harden","tag-jusuf-nurkic","tag-kawhi-leonard","tag-rudy-gobert","tag-steven-adams"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5291"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138745"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138745\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":138755,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138745\/revisions\/138755"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/138754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}