Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green exited the court during Monday night's victory over the Orlando Magic following a heated exchange with head coach Steve Kerr. The incident occurred in a third-quarter huddle, with Green subsequently heading to the locker room to cool down.
Kerr confirmed the altercation, stating, 'We got into it obviously and I took the timeout just because I thought we lost our focus there a little bit. We had it out a little bit and he made his decision to go back to the locker room to cool off.' He declined to provide further details, emphasising the matter was private.
Green explained his actions after the game, saying, 'Tempers spilled over and I just thought it was best that I get 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.' He added that he would have been willing to re-enter the game but Kerr chose not to send him back on court.
The exchange came days after Green was ejected from Saturday's game against the Phoenix Suns for consecutive technical fouls. The Warriors currently hold a 15-15 record, which Green acknowledged may have contributed to the heightened emotions: 'That's probably why tempers are flaring.'
Teammate Stephen Curry downplayed the incident, describing it as 'just having a good conversation' and expressing confidence in the team's professionalism. Guard Brandin Podziemski noted that Green was 'a great teammate on the bench' after returning from the locker room.
Green and Kerr have enjoyed a long partnership, with Green drafted in 2012 and Kerr becoming head coach in 2014, together winning four NBA championships. Green reflected, 'Sometimes you're with people for a long time and there's a level of comfort and shit happens. We move forward.'
