2023-11-27 15:37:05
Once a bad boy, always a bad boy. Draymond Green, the snarling defender of the Golden State Warriors, has lived up to his reputation for his return to the court. The basketball star told journalists present this Sunday that he did not regret his decision to have strangled Rudy Gobert last November 14, during an altercation between several players. A bad move which earned him a five-game suspension by the NBA.
The “Warrior” spoke to reporters for the first time since his suspension and said he was only defending teammate Klay Thompson when he violently “blocked” the Minnesota Timberwolves center’s head.
“I don’t live with regrets,” Draymond Green told ESPN. “I will stand up for a teammate whenever I am in a position to do so. … What matters to me is knowing how the people I love feel, above all. How are the people I care about affected? How are the people I love affected? How should the people I love cope? That’s all for me “.
The altercation occurred when Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels came to blows when both players were not even in possession of the ball. The situation worsened, players from both teams entered the melee and that’s when Green grabbed Gobert and choked him.
???? The image of the night: Draymond Green’s strangulation of Rudy Gobert!
At the start, a clash between Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels. Their teammates get involved, Gobert comes to separate… but Green grabs him by the neck!
Result ? Three expulsions (Klay, McDaniels, Green). pic.twitter.com/XaCUWym0Ip
— Basket USA ???? (@basketusa) November 15, 2023
Rudy Gobert verbally attacked his “choke” after the game, saying the Warriors forward intentionally got himself ejected because he didn’t want to play without star Steph Curry. Green and Gobert have a common history, but Green wouldn’t say if that played a role in what happened on Nov. 14.
“I will always be there for my teammates”
“Things can be interpreted however people want to interpret them,” the Golden State player said. “I’m not here to judge people’s interpretations or try to change them. They are what they are. I know that for me, I will always be there for my teammates. This is who I am. That’s who I am as a teammate, that’s who I am as a friend. …Whether you are right, wrong or indifferent, look your way and I will be there – or even in front of you.”
The Warriors hope that Green’s return will help them get back on track after a difficult start to the season. He will return from suspension Tuesday in the game against the Sacramento Kings. Golden State has lost eight of its eleven games and the Warriors are well aware of what Green brings to the roster.
“Our defense gets better instantly with Draymond, we know that,” Bay Area coach Steve Kerr said. “Then it’s about finding the right combinations in the game that are in rhythm and work. We are looking for the best version of our team in both ways. I would say that with all the absences and injuries, we are still looking for ourselves,” commented the multiple NBA champion.
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