Draymond Green has been one of the most fiery competitors the NBA has seen since arriving in the league. But sometimes, that can work against his own team.
On Monday night, Green nearly tormented the Golden State Warriors with that same competitive fire as he engaged head coach Steve Kerr in a heated argument during a timeout early in the third quarter. With the Warriors down five after a difficult first half in which they missed all but three of their 18 attempts from beyond the arc, Green turned the ball over, which was compounded by a take foul committed by big man Quinten Post .
That sequence lit the fuse for the outburst between Green and Kerr, which ended with the former leaving the bench and retreating to the locker room. He wouldn't return until the fourth quarter and didn't get back into the game.
During the postgame press conference, Green summed up the confrontation as one where tempers had spilled over.
With him or Kerr not backing down from one another, Green thought the best thing for him to do at that point was to distance himself from the situation instead of saying or doing something he would regret.
"Tempers spilled over, and I just thought it was best that I got out of there. I don't think there was a situation where it was going to get better. So it was just best to remove myself. That's it," he explained .
He added that the argument was rooted in basketball and nothing more.
"It's an emotional game. People lose their emotions sometimes. It happens. It is what it is," he continued. "We've been at this now for a long time. Sometimes, when you're with people for a long time, there's a level of comfort, and stuff happens. We move forward."
This isn't the first time Green and Kerr have locked horns, and, likely, this won't be the last either. The two strong personalities have had their fair share of confrontations, including a much-publicized one in 2016 when Green confronted Kerr about his limited offensive role during a heated game against the Oklahoma City Thunder .
During halftime of that game, ESPN's Lisa Salters reported hearing a profanity-laced tirade a Warriors player made that was so loud that anyone outside of the locker room could listen to every word that was said. That player was Green.
However, Kerr dismissed that conflict as nothing special, saying the back-and-forth he has with Green gives them the edge they need to overcome obstacles throughout the season.
"The Bulls needed Dennis Rodman. The Spurs needed Stephen Jackson. I have a potty mouth, so when Draymond and I go back and forth, there's some 'Hey, f — k you. No, f —k you.' The other guys are like, 'Oh, s —t .' But that conflict — between Draymond and me, Draymond and the opponent, Draymond and the ref, Draymond and the world — gives us our edge," Kerr explained .
After the game, Kerr said that other than revealing that he and Green exchanged words, they are keeping things in-house.
"We got into it, obviously. And, you know, I took the timeout just because I thought we lost our focus there a little bit. So we had it out a little bit, and he made his decision to go back to the locker room to cool off," he disclosed . "That's all I'm going to say about it. Everything is private, and yeah — I've got nothing further to add."
The veteran coach emphasized that whatever success they achieve this season, Draymond will play a significant role.
"We need Draymond. He's a champion, and we've been together for a long time," Kerr stressed. "All we can do is, the rest of the group, keep pushing and keep getting better… And yeah, it's unfortunate what happened, but it happened."
The Warriors' heart and soul, Stephen Curry , was in a somber mood, despite scoring 26 points, 15 of which came in that pivotal third quarter. He declined to discuss the matter between Green and Kerr but expressed confidence that everything would be sorted out.
"They were just having a good conversation. It's kind of for them to talk about not me. I'm pretty sure we know how to be professional, though," the Chef commented .
The 120-97 win over the Orlando Magic gave the Warriors an even 15-15 record this season. However, with the incident casting a dark cloud over the night, it remains to be seen what happens next in a season filled with tumult and inconsistent play.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
