Draymond Green Archives - US Sports News

Draymond Green, Joel Embiid Make Bizarre Appearances on Champions League Pregame Show

In one of the more bizarre crossovers in recent sports history, NBA stars Draymond Green and Joel Embiid were invited as guests on CBS Sports’ Champions League pregame show on Saturday afternoon.

Ahead of the Champions League final in Wembley between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid joined the CBS Sports’ soccer crew of Jamie Carragher, Thierry Henry, Kate Abdo and Micah Richards to discuss the highly anticipated matchup.

Embiid and the crew got into a comical discussion about height, which led the 7’0’’ Philly big to stand up from his chair and tower over his fellow hosts. In response, Carragher climbed onto Richards’s shoulders to try to create a taller figure than Embiid.

What could be stranger than that sequence? Seeing Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green and his son hop on the set.

All the stars are out at Wembley 🇺🇸🤩@Money23Green (and son, DJ) checks in with #UCLToday crew 🏀 pic.twitter.com/RRuG1FtE6s
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) June 1, 2024

Green has served as a recurring panelist on TNT’s Inside the NBA after the Golden State Warriors were eliminated from postseason contention, and his public criticism of certain players has not been without consequence. The Minnesota Timberwolves reportedly shunned the Inside the NBA crew following their Game 4 win over the Dallas Mavericks due to Green’s "derisive" comments on Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.

In Saturday’s Champions League final, Real Madrid are seeking their record-extending 15th trophy. Borussia Dortmund haven’t won the Champions League since the 1996-97 season and are widely considered the underdogs to Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

31 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Timberwolves Shunned ‘Inside the NBA’ Due to Draymond Green Criticism, per Report

After dispatching the Dallas Mavericks 105-100 on Tuesday in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, the Minnesota Timberwolves did something unusual. The team made none of its star players available afterward for Inside the NBA, TNT's venerable postgame show.

According to a Friday report from Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, there was a reason for that. It had to do with Golden State Warriors forward-turned-TV provocateur Draymond Green.

"(The Timberwolves had) such strong chemistry that it decided as a group that no player would appear on TNT’s Inside the NBA postgame show after their victory in Game 4 in Dallas, team sources told The Athletic," Charania and Krawczynski wrote. "The decision was a sign of support for (center Rudy) Gobert and (forward Karl-Anthony) Towns, who were the subject of derisive and seemingly personal criticism from panelist and Golden State forward Draymond Green."

Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves chose not to participate in "Inside The NBA" interviews, standing in solidarity with Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert against criticism from Draymond Green, per @TheAthletic
“Edwards was surrounded by a tight-knit team, one with such… pic.twitter.com/peFvv5rHEK
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 31, 2024

Green attracted criticism throughout his TV run for his attitude toward Gobert in particular.

"Rudy sucks, not me! What did I do? I didn't do anything!" Green told Mavericks fans heckling him at one point.

Earlier this year, the NBA suspended Green indefinitely after he put Gobert in a headlock during a 104-101 Warriors loss in November.

7 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Draymond Green Doesn’t Think Jamal Murray Deserves Suspension For Game 2 Antics

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray's antics in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves could potentially result in a suspension after he was seen throwing a heating pack onto the court from the bench while play was live.

Although the incident went unnoticed by officials during the game, the moment was caught on the TNT broadcast, prompting plenty of discussion online among fans as to whether Murray deserves to be suspended.

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green weighed in on the situation during the latest episode of his podcast, and he made clear that he didn't believe that Murray's actions warranted a suspension.

"I was just online and I see people are like, 'Oh Jamal Murray's probably going to get suspended for throwing the heat pack,'" Green said. "I mean I didn’t think he'd get suspended, although that was very dangerous. Somebody steps on that, A, it leaves a wet spot. B, it can really jack somebody up. But I didn’t see that and be like my first thought wasn’t, ‘Ah, he’ll get suspended.’"

"It's crazy how people just automatically start calling for suspensions these days. I just don’t really understand that. But in saying that, man, Denver's down bad right now," he added.

Game 2 was a frustrating one for the Nuggets, as they were held to a season-low 80 points by an overwhelming Timberwolves defense. The usually composed squad appeared rattled, particularly Murray who was facing frequent pressure from the moment he entered Minnesota's half.

Although no one was hurt after Murray launched the heating pack onto the court, it was a reckless move from the 27-year-old, and one which could've led to an injury or accident. A suspension certainly isn't out of the question for Murray, who figures to at least be fined for his actions, though an official decision in that regard has yet to be made by the league.

3 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Draymond Green Has Message for Patrick Beverley After Postgame Meltdown

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, infamously known for his own on-court antics, shared a message to Patrick Beverley on his podcast in light of Thursday night's controversies surrounding the Milwaukee Bucks guard.

"Pat, you can't keep having these moments, man, at the end of these losses," Green said on The Draymond Green Show. "You starting to look like the kid that's going to grab the ball and say, 'I'm going home. I can't play. We're outta here. I'm leaving the park, it's my ball.'

"Come on, Pat."

Beverley went viral in the closing minutes of the Bucks' season-ending 120–98 loss to the Indiana Pacers for chucking a basketball at a fan behind Milwaukee's bench—twice.

"It opens up an entirely different can of worms," Green said of Beverley's basketball toss. "[NBA commissioner] Adam [Silver] going to have a problem on his hands with this one. It's about as close as you can get to going in the stands. That is forbidden for us."

After all that, Beverley dug himself in another hole in the Bucks' locker room. He refused to answer a reporter's question because she didn't subscribe to his podcast and asked her to leave the scrum around his locker.

"I actually try to take the complete opposite approach because I am very appreciative of the NBA supporting podcasts the way they do," Green said.

Beverley will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. If the 35-year-old finds a new NBA home the next few months, he likely will serve a suspension for his antics Thursday to begin the season.