Why Did Draymond Green Punch LeBron James? 3 Instances When He Lost Temper On His Good Friends

Draymond Green is not always known to be the most calm individual on the basketball court. His somewhat temperamental nature often took center stage during the Warriors’ recent tournament run, causing him to get into fights with rival players like Rudy Gobert, Jusuf Nurkic, etc. However, one of his most controversial moments was when the Warrior reportedly punched then-Cavs star LeBron James during the 2016 NBA Finals.

A few hours ago, Green made an appearance on Shaquille O’Neal’s ‘The Big Podcast’. They discussed what would have happened to him if he had thrown a heating pad during a playoff game like Jamal Murray did. This compelled him to touch base on that 8-year-old incident. To what would come as a surprise to many, he admitted what happened between him and LeBron was 100% intentional.

“You’re damn right I tried to hit him,” said Green. “I don’t take up that much space. You don’t need to go over my shoulder. You go over my shoulder, you’re disrespecting me as a man. I don’t give a damn about basketball over who I am as a man”.

This took place during Game 4 of the Finals, as the Warriors held a comfortable 2-1 lead. As the matchup was in its final minutes, LeBron and Draymond had an uncomfortable exchange. After LBJ caused him to take a fall, Dray attempted to reportedly go for a punch/shove. He failed to make contact, but it was nevertheless spotted by the on-court referees.

Both of them received a technical foul. Unfortunately for Draymond Green, this was his second one of the night. He was made to exit and was even suspended from Game 5. The Cavs then won Game 5 112-97, with LeBron James putting up 41 points.

Whatever may have happened between the duo, it did not stop them from developing a friendship later. According to Green, both he and LeBron built a “natural” friendship from 2017 onwards. A few instances of this were seen after he became a co-host of the now Lakers star’s ‘The Shop’ show in 2017 and 2018. LeBron himself has often sung the praise of his one-time rival, claiming that “he’s a warrior, literally and figuratively”.

Who else has Draymond Green engaged in a physical altercation with?

As long-time Golden State Warriors fans may know, the LeBron-Green tussle was not the first physical altercation, Draymond would allegedly go on to initiate.

Back in 2022, the Warriors were on a high after winning their 4th Championship in 10 years. However, it didn’t stop the incident between Draymond Green and his teammate, Jordan Poole, during a practice session. The rising tension between the duo, which was later described to have boiled up after days of issues, caused Green to straight out punch Poole in the face.

After making a public apology a few days later, he was handed a fine by the franchise. Both players denied giving specifics. However, Green later clarified he punched Poole after the latter said some “stuff you don’t say amongst men.” Many reports attribute this feud as the reason why the team was unable to repeat their Championship run.

Jusuf Nurkic reportedly shared a friendship with Draymond Green too. However, that all changed some time ago. After Green was suspended for allegedly choking his longtime rival Rudy Gobert, he ended up striking Nurkic while attempting to overcome his defensive play. He ended up receiving a two-foul and was suspended again, indefinitely. He was also compelled to attend mandated counseling sessions.

Draymond Green and Kevin Durant have been friends for quite a long time. Their relationship developed after KD served as the power forward’s teammate between 2016-19. However, after he headed to the Nets, tensions started to arise. During a Warriors-Nets matchup, with Green and Co. leading by 113-112 with just 0.6 seconds on the clock, Durant attempted to make a shot but was effortlessly blocked by Green.

The Warriors star then went up to his ex-teammates face, reportedly saying, “Get out of here”. KD did not appreciate that. In the post-game presser, he revealed it would have been easy for Green to look good during the final seconds because it’s “tough to get anything off” in such limited time.

While his career has been marked with many triumphs, the 34-year-old player is also not always the most chill-out individual when it comes to on-court competition.