Draymond Green explains what happened with his latest ejection
Feb 20, 2020; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) stands on the court before the game against the Houston Rockets at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Draymond Green has shared his side of what happened with his latest ejection.
Green was ejected just minutes into the Golden State Warriors’ 101-93 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night after he had some choice words for an official. Referee Ray Acosta had called a foul on Warriors swingman Andrew Wiggins, and Green received a technical foul for arguing the call.
Then, as Green was walking toward the bench, he had some more choice words for Acosta. That resulted in a second technical and an automatic ejection.
Green discussed the ejection — his fourth of the season — during the latest episode of his “The Draymond Green Show” podcast, which was released on Thursday. He said he deserved to be tossed but that his biggest mistake was not waiting until his body was completely turned to say whatever he said that angered Acosta.
“I said what I said. I deserved to get kicked out at that point,” Green admitted. “If I’m all the way honest with y’all, I kind of was trying to turn my body to angle and go to the bench and I said what I said, like, a little too soon before angling my body to the bench. But, yeah, it just can’t happen. We need to win games.
“Like I said, I’m not gonna overreact like, ‘Oh man!’ Stuff is never as good as it seems or as bad as it seems. I know where I am. I understand what I’m doing moving forward in my position — just make sure that’s the exception and not the rule.”
Draymond speaks on his ejection. (via the draymond green show)
pic.twitter.com/8GSmJGGv2B— TheWarriorsTalk (@TheWarriorsTalk) March 28, 2024
Of course, most people would say the incident was just another example of Green not being able to control his temper. Had he simply kept quiet after the first technical foul, it would not have mattered which way his body was turned.
The Warriors are fighting for a postseason spot, so the last thing they need is Green making himself unavailable. He may not want to make a huge deal out of getting ejected again, but Stephen Curry’s reaction to the situation said it all.