Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green engaged in a heated, near chest-to-chest confrontation with a fan during his team’s 124-106 road victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.
The incident unfolded after Green was called for a shooting foul, prompting him to stride towards the grinning spectator.
Green later clarified the exchange, stating: "He just kept calling me a woman. It was a good joke at first but you can’t keep calling me a woman."
He added that the fan was using "a woman’s name." The NBA star, a father of four with another child on the way, emphasised the personal impact: "Just don’t be disrespectful."
The fan, identified as Sam Green, 35, from New Orleans, was wearing a Pelicans-branded polo shirt. He explained his heckling involved chants of "Angel Reese”, a reference to the WNBA and former LSU star known for her rebounding prowess.
Sam Green claimed this was due to Draymond Green’s early rebounds stemming from his own short-range misses, including a sequence where Green missed five straight shots but rebounded the first four. Draymond Green finished the game with eight points and 10 rebounds.
During the confrontation, game officials quickly intervened, stepping between the player and the fan to pull Draymond Green away.
Ushers then gathered around Sam Green, who appeared amused by the interaction.
Draymond Green praised official Courtney Kirkland’s handling of the situation, quoting him as saying: "I got it. I’ve heard him over and over and over again. You’ve handled it well. Don’t get yourself in no trouble. I’ll take care of it. Courtney was great."
However, Sam Green offered a different account of the exchange, alleging that the Warriors star shouted profanity at him and threatened to punch him if the "Angel Reese" taunts continued.
"I wasn’t using profanity and for him to walk 12 feet off the court to come and get in my face like that, it was a little unnerving," said Sam Green, who received a warning from ushers but was permitted to remain in his front-row seat.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr commented on the incident post-game, stating he couldn’t extensively discuss it due to not hearing what was said.
"As long as it doesn’t escalate, it’s fine (for a player) to go over and have a discussion," Kerr remarked, adding, "It would have been nice if security had gotten there a little bit earlier."
Draymond Green has a history of confrontational on-court behaviour, often resulting in technical fouls, fines, and ejections.
He was previously fined $25,000 in 2022 for "directing obscene language toward a fan."
Green has been a vocal critic of fan behaviour, arguing that spectators face minimal consequences for inappropriate remarks, which he believes incentivises such conduct given that players can be penalised for engaging.
Despite the incident, Green stated on Sunday night that he is accustomed to heckling at away games and it typically doesn’t bother him.
"I love disrespect on the road because we win a lot," Green said. "Quieting a home crowd is always fun."
Green also expressed surprise at the relatively small crowd for the game, despite Stephen Curry playing, especially given the Pelicans’ poor start to the season.
"The Steph Curry show; it usually travels," Green observed. "Man, this place; it’s tough in here."
He concluded by suggesting the league might need to address attendance issues: "You want to go into full arenas (which) also helps the entire league out. So, you might need to take a look. It’s interesting."
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