Draymond Green’s ‘Toxic Temper’: 4 Individuals Keep Him in Check, Even After Getting Bullied In School

Draymond Green’s antics on the court this season are well-documented. The Golden State Warriors’ defensive anchor has apologized again and again for his behavior and even underwent extensive counseling a few months ago, but that only helped him maintain his cool for 32 games before he exploded again. Well, 31 games and four minutes, to be exact. Last Wednesday, during a crucial game against the Orlando Magic, Green was ejected for the fourth time this season for jawing with the game official, Ray Acosta. However, while all efforts have failed to contain Dray’s frequent outbursts, there might be an answer to curb his on-court theatrics.

In a recent episode of The Draymond Green Show, the 34-year-old revealed that having his children on the sidelines helps him keep his temper in check. When guest Mark Cuban asked whether he holds himself back when his kids are watching from the stands, Green admitted, “Do I hold myself back? Absolutely. Because, like, you know, for instance, this year I was very thankful in all the games where I had some things happen, my kids weren’t there. But it definitely, like, makes me maintain a sense of control when I know they’re right there in the stands. They’re watching it right there.” 

Green and actress Hazel Renee tied the knot in the fall of 2022 and have four children in their blended family. The couple shares two daughters– Cash Green (3) and another they recently welcomed in 2023 (3 months). Additionally, the NBA player has Draymond Jr. (7) from a past relationship, while Renee has a daughter, Olive Jay (9), with a previous partner. When Green was suspended for striking the Phoenix Suns’ center Jusuf Nurkic last year, it not only affected him and the Warriors but also his kids, who were getting bullied in school because of his ‘toxic temper’. Green has earned himself a reputation as an “instigator” in the league, thanks to his provocative style of play along with his loud trash-talking. And these incidents have only increased as the years have gone by.

History of Draymond Green’s toxic temper

In 2016, Green missed Game 5 of the Finals with his first career suspension for hitting LeBron James in the groin. His actions were upgraded to a flagrant foul after the game, which was his fourth of the postseason, leading to an automatic one-game ban. This resulted in the Cavs overcoming a 3-1 deficit for the first time in NBA Finals history to defeat the Warriors, which even Green’s career performance in Game 7 couldn’t save.

In 2018, Green found himself suspended once again, this time after a heated exchange with Kevin Durant. The argument stemmed from Green’s decision not to pass the ball to Durant for the final shot in an overtime loss to the Clippers. Four years later, in 2022, Green’s frustrations boiled over as he punched his then-teammate Jordan Poole. The fallout from this incident was significant, leading to Poole being traded to the Washington Wizards due to chemistry issues within the team.

Green’s third career suspension came in 2023 when he was banned one game after picking up his 16th technical foul of the season. The fourth setback followed shortly after when he stomped on Domantas Sabonis’ chest during the first round of the playoffs.

This year has been equally rough, as he was suspended five games for putting Timberwolves forward Rudy Gobert in a headlock during a scuffle between the two teams on Nov. 16. And then, six games later, he was suspended indefinitely over the Jusuf Nurkic incident, before the league reinstated him after 12 games.

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