The 2023-24 campaign was a rocky one for Draymond Green. He was suspended twice during the regular season for the Golden State Warriors , with his second incident, which saw him hit Jusuf Nurkic in the face with the back of his hand, netting him an indefinite suspension.
The second suspension really saw Green take a bashing on social media, with players and fans alike saying that they hoped he got the help he needed. This took a toll on the Michigan State product, and he recently revealed his experience during this whole situation.
Dray dishes on the double standard
Green has long been one of the most physical players in the NBA, but he has crossed the line several times throughout his career. Those instances became too frequent this season, leading to an indefinite suspension, with the hope that Draymond could figure some things out off the court.
Dray did just that, but he took exception to the notion that he needed help because of his aggressive play. He pointed out the double standard of being an aggressive player, as fans cannot choose whether they want players in the NBA to be friends or enemies.
"I thought it was very interesting, so many guys coming out like, 'He need help, he need this, he need that,'" Green said on The Big Podcast . "Number one, you don't know me, so to sit and throw that on somebody's name is crazy… I'm sitting there like, 'He need help? I need help for the way I play basketball?' I am a standup citizen, I try to be as good to people as I can be."
"Of course I f***ing hate you on the basketball court. We get criticized for being friends with guys on the basketball court. You lay somebody out on the basketball court, you're a terrorist. Be nice to somebody on the basketball court, you too soft. Guys are too soft, they're friends, they're this. Everything's a problem," he added.
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Green contemplated his basketball future
The four-time champion makes a decent point with his argument, but it's again fair to note that there's a line that must be carefully walked in these instances. It's fine to not be friendly with your opponent, but that doesn't give you a reason to beat them up on the court.
Regardless, the situation led Draymond to reflect a lot about himself and where he was in his career. The narratives that were being painted in the media hurt him quite a bit, and he nearly called it a career as a result of what was being said about him.
"In sitting there and watching people attack my character as a man, as a human being, over something that happened on the basketball court, it was crazy to me," he said. "It took me a bunch of different places because I'm like, 'This has now gotten to a point of where I'm not sure this is what I want. I'm not sure I want to continue playing basketball if this is what it's become.' You do this on the basketball court, you a bad human."
"These are claims on my name that has no factual evidence. This is not based on facts, this is based on what I did on the basketball court. If I'm honest with you, the same person that sit here and talk to you today is not the person that even go on the basketball court, not even close to the same person. That is a totally different human being," Green noted.
It was tough for the Dubs forward to see these things being said about him, but what confused him the most was that people were judging him based on what they saw on the court. According to the man himself, Draymond is on the court, and he is off the court; they are two completely different people.
"When I step on the court, I will slap the s*** out of you, I will do whatever I need to do to win a basketball game. I'm not that way in my everyday life, so to see people taking shots at my character…I went through a range of emotions. I was pissed off, I was sad, I wanted to fight the world, I wanted to not see the world," Dray stated.
The good news for Green was that he could eventually return from his indefinite suspension and get through the remainder of the season without another incident of note. But in some folks' eyes, the damage has already been done.
Dray is obviously nearing the end of his career. Still, he has remained committed to playing for the Warriors until he retires. If he can stay out of trouble, that's a goal he should be able to achieve, but you never know what Green will do once he sets foot on the court.
Related: “Didn’t want to help him get to where he wanted to go” - Draymond Green blames LA Clippers for purposely not sending Paul George to the Warriors
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