After getting ejected from the Warriors' 101-93 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday at Kia Center, Draymond Green took to his podcast on Thursday morning to express his regret
Speaking on "The Draymond Green Show," the Warriors forward explained that he deserved to get ejected for what he said to referee Ray Acosta (h/t ESPN).
"It just can't happen," Green said. "I said what I said. I deserved to be kicked out at that point. If I'm all the way honest with y'all, kind of was trying to turn my body and angle it to go to the bench, but I said what I said a little too soon before angling my body. ... But, yeah, it just can't happen."
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Green's ejection came less than four minutes into Wednesday's critical matchup with Orlando, with the All-NBA forward expressing his frustration with a foul call to Acosta. He verbally berated the referee even after receiving a technical foul until he was issued his second technical, triggering an automatic ejection.
The incident upset many members of the Warriors both on the court and on the bench, with Steph Curry visibly emotional as Green walked to the locker room.
Green has been ejected from a game four times during the 2023-24 NBA season, his single-campaign high, which puts him at 19 ejections for his career, trailing only Rasheed Wallace (25) for the most over the past 25 years.
Golden State Warriors
With the Warriors clinging to a play-in berth, the ejection came at a terrible time. Though Golden State rallied to win Wednesday's game against Orlando, questions remain about whether Green can contain his emotions on the court.
Green has missed a total of 17 games this season due to suspensions from choking out Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert and striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in the head. The Warriors have struggled this season without Green on the floor, posting an 11-14 record in 25 games without their defensive anchor.
Golden State sits in 10th place in the Western Conference standings in the final play-in spot, but the Houston Rockets have ripped off 10 wins in a row to close within one game of the Warriors for the final-play tournament spot.
With plenty of more big-time games looming as the season comes to a close, Green will need to learn from this recent ejection and keep his emotional outbursts to a minimum.