On Tuesday night, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green had a Milwaukee Bucks fan ejected from the game midway through the third quarter.
The fan began chirping at Green around the 6:30 mark and the back-and-forth continued for over a full minute. But as Stephen Curry stepped to the line for a free throw, Green had had enough. He pointed out the fan to an official who then sent the ticket-holder packing.
It was initially unclear what was said that upset Green so much, but he elaborated further during a post-game interview.
“Some people look at NBA players like they’re superhuman,” Green said, via ESPN. “That they’re this larger-than-life figure. So you come and you get someone to say something back and they get fined. They go home and laugh with their buddies.
“I think it’s just one of those things when you can hold it in and get to the ref and get them out, it’s great.”
For Green, the tipping point came when the fan allegedly said some “threatening stuff” toward his life. It angered Green so much that he considered “diving” into the stands to confront the fan. Luckily for Green, the fan, and the NBA, that didn’t happen. After all, we each remember Malice at the Palace vividly.
This also isn’t the first time Green has gotten into it with the fans this season. He was fined $25,000 just a few weeks ago after a verbal altercation in Dallas on Nov. 29.
“They jump and fine guys for saying something back,” he said. “I think when you see guys get fined, it’s more often a license for more people to do it.”
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