NBA players are standing with Draymond Green after he was ejected for stepping on Domantas Sabonis in Game 2
Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green received a flagrant 2 penalty on Monday night that triggered an automatic ejection from the game for stepping on Sacramento Kings big man Domantas Sabonis.
Most viewed the step or “stomp” as dirty, but there was a hint that Sabonis wasn’t innocent since he also received a technical foul on the play for “grabbing” Green’s ankle. After the game, Green voiced frustration over the fact that his ankles have been grabbed at in both games of the series.
A different video angle than what was shown on the national TNT broadcast makes it look like Sabonis’s grab wasn’t as ill-intentioned as Green seemed to take it. Sabonis, on the floor, appeared to put his arms up close to his head to help defend himself.
After the game, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal said he would have done the same thing if he were in Green’s shoes. Other stars followed suit and stood in relative support of Green despite his ejection and some calling for him to be suspended.
Damian Lillard says Domantas Sabonis should have received take foul
Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard jumped to Twitter to say that he felt like Sabonis should have received a take foul, and that the step/stomp was entirely due to Green’s balance.
Klay Thompson thinks Domantas Sabonis “grab” was unwarranted
Klay Thompson also spoke out against the harsh critiques of Green, though he qualified it by saying he wasn’t sure if Green’s reaction was warranted, either.
“I mean, what are you gonna do when someone grabs your foot when you’re running full speed? Like, that’s a dirty… I just–fully grabs your foot and yanks on you, that’s not cool man. I’m not saying what Draymond did was right, but you can’t just grab somebody’s foot when they’re taking off on a full sprint, that’s not cool.”
For what it’s worth, Sabonis played it all off as “playoff basketball,” despite the fact that he required X-rays to assess damage to his ribs and lungs, which came back clean.
“It’s playoff basketball,” Sabonis said. “Look at the fans, this is it. We’re here to fight. Every time we step on the floor we’re gonna give everything for our teammates and the franchise. We’re both fighting for the rebound. We fell on each other, stuff happens, it’s basketball, we gotta move on, next play.”