The Golden State Warriors, fighting for their NBA playoff lives down the stretch of the season, were put in a tough predicament on Wednesday night vs. the Orlando Magic. Not even four minutes into the game, Draymond Green was ejected after getting into it with the officials.
On his podcast Thursday, Green revealed regret for his actions, resulting in the ejection. “It just can’t happen,” Green said on “The Draymond Green Show” podcast on Thursday, via ESPN. “I said what I said. I deserved to be kicked out at that point. If I’m all the way honest with y’all, kind of was trying to turn my body and angle it to go to the bench, but I said what I said a little too soon before angling my body. … But, yeah, it just can’t happen.”
After being whistled for his first personal foul of the game by Ray Acosta, Green was chirping at the official. When Stephen Curry was called for a shooting foul a little while later, Green approached Acosta and continued yelling at him.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Draymond Green & Golden State Warriors Updates
Acosta assessed a technical foul to Green, which was warranted based on his behavior. When Green did not stop berating Acosta, a second technical foul was administered, which resulted in an automatic ejection from the game.
Per ESPN, “Crew chief Mitchell Ervin told a pool reporter after the game that Green was given the second technical foul because “after a prolonged diatribe, Green directed egregious profane vanguard towards a game official.” Ervin said Green’s history “absolutely” did not have an impact on the decision to hand out two technical fouls.”
This isn’t the first run-in that Green has had with an NBA official and it assuredly won’t be his last. He has now been ejected from a game a career-high four times this season. It is the most in the league since Kevin Durant was ejected five times during the 2017-18 season.
For his career, it was the 19th time that Green has been ejected during a regular season game. The NBA record for that distinction is held by Rasheed Wallace, who has the most ejections over the last 25 years with 25.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Draymond Green & Golden State Warriors Updates
“I’m not going to overreact, like ‘Oh man!’ Green said on his podcast. “Stuff is never as good as it seems; it’s never as bad as it seems. I know where I am. I understand what I’m doing moving forward. And my position is just make sure that’s the exception and not the rule.”
Green has been the center of attention for the wrong reasons on multiple occasions this season. He was first suspended five games after putting Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves in a chokehold. Then, he sat out 16 as part of an indefinite suspension after striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face.
