“Stop Kicking People in the Private”: Draymond Green Torn Apart for Being a Terrible NBA Ambassador, Amid Stephen A. Smith Controversy

The fine line between rash behavior on the floor and simple defense has been a point of contention in the NBA. The debate is, that in the 1980’s the league was a lot rougher, what warrants a foul or even an ejection today wouldn’t have been much of a stir back then. So, naturally Draymond Green doesn’t quite fit in the modern defense mold. Green is old-school reminiscent of players like Dennis Rodman.

However, his two suspensions and massive fines made the whole NBA verse question how much is too much. In the latest episode of ‘Night Cap’, NFL legend Shannon Sharpe attempts to answer that very question. “Stop kicking people in the private. How about Stop choking people?… How about stop punching your teammates?” asks Sharpe.

The conversation began when Chand Johnson and Sharpe started speaking about rules and boundaries in the game. The NFL Hall of Famer alludes to Green’s recent suspensions on the court. Johnson came in the defence of the former DPOY saying, “I think Draymond is one of those individuals; he’s gonna always stay true to himself. And I think if you take away that edge that he has, that Dennis Rodman-like type—not that he’s that extreme with it—but if you take away that edge that he has, I think it changes him as a player.

Sharpe vehemently disagrees with the argument citing a counterpoint, “You got to have rules and regulations. There’s a reason why we have speed limits… So if there were no rules in the NBA, how hard would you think somebody would foul? What do you think people would do? You’ve got to have rules.”

The comments of Sharpe come at a time when the four-time NBA champion also got in a public Spat with Stephen A. Smith over his behavior.

What happened between Draymond Green and Stephen A.?

In the absence of the Golden State Warriors in the post-season, Draymond has been hard at work in TNT for the new phase of his career. As a result, Green ended up in a podcast episode with Shaquille O’Neal. However, things got heated quickly when he fired shots at the ‘First Take’ host. The 4-time NBA all-star accused Smith of not defending him while the media was on his back for the suspensions.

“At not one point did you say, ‘Well, y’all are saying this person is f**ked up and this person need help. Now, I know the person. Say what you want about the basketball player, that’s fine. But I know the person,” said Green. Stephen A. responded on ‘First Take’ saying, “Draymond Green just went on a National Podcast with Shaquille O’Neal, my brother said that he lost respect for me, Well, I’ve now lost respect for him.” 

He further added, “I love this brother I got mad love for Draymond Green. I have an abundance of receipts where I can show you. How many times have I spoken up for Draymond? It’s been countless times.”  This begs the question is Green’s on-court antics a step too far? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.