When Rudy Gobert talked to reporters after Tuesday’s 104–101 win over the Golden State Warriors, he didn’t make himself look like the victim. Instead, the 7-footer hit Draymond Green with some choice words.
Green was kicked out of the game for slapping Gobert in the head early in the first quarter before either team had scored a basket. Green was given a five-game ban for what he did, which was made public later Wednesday.
Gobert’s words after the game will be thought about for a while. The Timberwolves’ big man didn’t get a technical foul during all the chaos. While teammates Jaden McDaniels and Klay Thompson of the Warriors were kicked out, Gobert ended the game. In 35 minutes, he scored nine points, grabbed 13 rebounds, gave two assists, and blocked three shots.
Going on and on about Green’s “clown behavior,” Gobert said he couldn’t do anything at the time because he knew the Timberwolves needed him. He also said that Gobert knew Green would try to get thrown out of the game when he heard that Stephen Curry could not play because his right knee was hurt.
“It’s kind of funny because, before the game, I was telling myself that Steph is not playing, so I know Draymond is going to try and get ejected. Because every time Steph doesn’t play, he doesn’t want to play — it’s his guy Steph. He’ll do anything he can to get ejected.”
Green has been thrown out 18 times in his professional career, and most of them happened when Curry wasn’t there. Curry was thrown out seven times during games he was in, but that changed when the Warriors star broke his hand on November 11, 2019. After that, Green was sent to the locker room four times, and Curry missed all of them. Since January 2020, the 33-year-old has been thrown out five other times without Curry.
Gobert said Green doesn’t do his job when his favorite friend isn’t there, and he also made fun of Green’s attempt to choke him.
“He’s grabbing me, he’s grabbing me, he’s grabbing me, [but] the choke wasn’t good enough,” Gobert said via The Athletic. “Yeah, it wasn’t enough for me to really have to [pass out]. But he tried. He tried really hard, but it wasn’t good enough to where I felt like I was really in danger of falling asleep or something like that.”
Green tried to submit Gobert in the wrestling style for about nine seconds while team staff, players, and security tried to calm things down.
“It was a long time, and if he knew how to choke, it could have been way worse,” Gobert added. “He tried to. His intention was to really take me out. And I kept my hands up the whole time just to show the officials that I wasn’t trying to escalate the situation.”
In contrast to Gobert’s view of Green’s behavior, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr supported Green and Thompson in his news conference after the game.
“There’s no way Klay Thompson should have been thrown out of the game. He’s running up the floor, and [McDaniels] grabs his jersey, and he’s pulling on him, so Klay pulls back,” Kerr said before shifting his attention to Green. “If you watch the replay, Rudy had his hands on Klay’s neck. That’s why Draymond went after Rudy.
"There's no way Klay Thompson should've been thrown out of the game."
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 15, 2023
Steve Kerr shares his perspective of the first-quarter skirmish pic.twitter.com/oOgK2utKyk
He lost his job and had to miss one game without pay last year because he stomped on Domantas Sabonis’ chest in a playoff game against the Sacramento Kings.
Joe Dumars, executive vice president of the NBA, said that Green’s “excessive and over-the-top actions” and bad behavior as a “repeat offender” were important in making that choice.
