Draymond Green took to the court and instantly provided yet another moment for the NBA archives. In his controversial manner, the 34-year-old again made sure to grab the headlines and this time it even had a party involved who caught a stray bullet in the process.
The person in question is Grizzlies HC Taylor Jenkins, who had the unfortunate experience of tangling in a Draymond Green affair. After proving Jusuf Nurkic right with his unchanged ways, Draymond’s latest ruckus made sure that his notoriety sticks with him for the foreseeable future.
What happened between Draymond Green and Desmond Bane?
Draymond Green has added another on-court fight to his name after the drama-filled game between the arch-rivals Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies.
The Warriors’ power forward pushed Memphis’ Santi Aldama right after he had scored a basket but the 23-year-old Spaniard did not react to it. However, in stoppage time, when the Memphis head coach, Taylor Jenkins, was speaking to the game official, Green was eavesdropping, which didn’t go well with Desmond Bane.
Warriors and Grizzlies get chippy 😳
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 21, 2024
Draymond and Desmond Bane's confrontation led to Memphis' coach Taylor Jenkins getting knocked to the ground
(via @NBCSWarriors)pic.twitter.com/OuPnyQVXpl
The Memphis guard pushed the 4-time NBA champion and the two got involved in a squabble, knocking the HC to the ground. As a result, both players were handed technical fouls.
Despite the Warriors’ dominant victory by 137-116 on Thursday, the fight became the highlight of the game. The scuffle between the franchises has been going on for quite some time now and the Draymond Green incident just added a new chapter to it.
How did Warriors vs Grizzlies rivalry begin?
The beef dates back to 2021, when the Golden State and Grizzlies came across in the regular season finals game to fight for the 8th spot in the Western Conference table. The Warriors justified their names in the game and won over the Grizzlies, only to face them again in the play-in tournament.
The Grizzlies had some unsolved issues with the Warriors’ Andre Iguodala. The swingman was traded to the Grizzlies from the Warriors in 2019 but never appeared on the floor in the Memphis jersey and went back to the Warriors the following season after making a stop at the Miami Heat.
The Grizzlies “Block Panther” Jaren Jackson Jr. sarcastically wrote on Twitter (now X), “Strength in Numbers” the Warriors slogan, following a win over them in the 2021–22 season game. Their meeting in that season for a series game in the conference semifinals added more theatrics.
Strength in numbers 👏🏾
— JJJ (@jarenjacksonjr) March 29, 2022
During an altercation with the opponent, Dillon Brooks, the Warriors’ Gary Payton II fractured his elbow. Following the incident, the Grizzlies’ Canadian profession was suspended from the second game of the series. On winning the fourth title with the Warriors, Klay Thompson addressed Jackson as a “bum” in his tweet.
Last year, before being traded from the Grizzlies, Brooks shared his dislike for the Warriors franchise and especially their power forward, Draymond Green.
With the Grizzlies languishing in a lowly spot and the Warriors still vying for a playoff spot, it is highly unlikely that the two franchises will renew hostilities before the next season.
