The NBA is no stranger to Draymond Green’s fiery persona. But his latest incident has sparked yet another fresh wave of debate. You might already have understood where I am going with this, but yes, it’s the Zach Edey incident. The Warriors veteran found himself under scrutiny after a play involving the rookie was upgraded to Flagrant 1.

While Dray’s on-court antics often toe the line, this particular play – a seemingly deliberate trip – has raised questions about sportsmanship and league discipline. Well, for starters, the whole incident, when it happened, in itself had everyone calling the Warriors’ floor general out. And Stephen A. Smith did not wait too long to do so, too.

Green, however, had his own take on the situation. Responding to the ESPN analyst’s claim that many around the league believe he should face suspension, the 4x champion dismissed it with a characteristic mix of defiance and confidence.

“You got Stephen A. talking about many people around the league think Draymond be suspended. That ain’t right, because if many people around the league think Draymond should be suspended, guess what? Draymond gonna be suspended!” he said in the latest episode of his podcast, The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis. 

His statement essentially suggests that widespread opinion rather than impartial review influences league decisions. The controversial foul, for its part, occurred as Draymond Green fell in the lane while driving to the basket. He then locked his arm around the Canadian rookie’s foot, causing Edey to tumble. Initially ruled as a transition take foul, the league upgraded it upon review, labeling it a non-basketball play. The flagrant he received for this is DrayMagic’s first of the season.

Interestingly enough, Dray has a theory why everyone practically jumps in on the bandwagon whenever his name comes up.

Draymond Green calls out NBA ratings struggle: “Rating is low and sub in Draymond”

“I’m playing too well BD and guess what else, the ratings’s low. We know Draymond- name sparks buzz. We know that name carries weight, we know that’s going to get people. Rating is low and sub in draymond sh*t,” Green stated with a knowing smile on his face. Well, in all honesty, the part about ratings being low wouldn’t be too far from the truth.

Recent reports indeed suggest that the professional basketball league’s ratings have been struggling during the start of the regular season. According to Awful Announcing, ESPN’s opening doubleheader averaged just 1.6 million views. Now, for the uninitiated, that sounds like a huge number. But those in the know would be flabbergasted by now. That is a 42% drop from the 2023-24 season with the debut of Victor Wembanyama!

Yet another ESPN matchup between the Bucks and 76ers saw a viewership of 1.71 million – a 33% decline (down from 2.55 million) from the Knicks vs. Celtics in 2023. If you thought it was just ESPN, think again. TNT’s Thursday Game, a Spurs vs Mavs matchup, drew 1.45 million viewers – a 29% drop from last year’s comparable game.

There are multiple reasons for this decline in ratings and viewership. According to Front Office Sports, there’s the issue of diminishing star power, as some of the NBA’s top players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry are getting older. And then there’s the fact that the next generation of stars hasn’t been able to command the same level of attention. Add the league’s handling of game rest days and the ongoing debate surrounding it, Green’s comments highlight the NBA’s struggles at maintaining the audience.

Hence, his remark, which some might consider as self-aware, suggests that Green’s presence – controversial or not – still holds a certain allure that the league might be leveraging to attract more eyes during a time of declining viewership.