When Ben and Jerry talk ice cream, you listen to an authority.
When Meryl Streep talks acting, you listen to an authority.
When Draymond Green talks NBA suspensions, you listen to an authority.
And Green says that Victor Wembanyama’s actions during the NBA playoffs — including the Finals against the Knicks — warrant a suspension.
“Listen, I’m not one that wants to see series decided by suspensions,” Green, the Warriors star, said on “The Draymond Green Show.” “That’s not good for anyone. It leaves a lot of questions, a lot of what-ifs. I don’t enjoy that.
“I will say, he’s been shown a lot of grace. He probably should be suspended at some point – or (should( have been already – but he’s been shown a lot of grace.”
Green has been suspended six times during his Hall of Fame-caliber career, including an indefinite suspension (it became 12 games) in December 2023 for striking an opponent in the face. Earlier that same season, he was suspended five games for putting an opponent in a chokehold.
Green has been suspended for accumulating 16 technical fouls in a regular season and in the playoffs for stomping an opponent’s chest. He also sat out Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals for accumulating too many flagrant foul points in the postseason, which is the line that Wembanyama is toeing.
Wembanyama will be suspended after his next flagrant foul. And that’s despite getting a free pass live and upon further review for his cheap shot on Jalen Brunson in Game 3 of the Finals.
“I agree with the grace,” Green said. “We want to see Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs vs. the Knicks. Not the Spurs sans Victor Wembanyama versus the Knicks.”
Of course, the controversial Green, who is serving as a studio analyst for ESPN’s coverage of the Finals, wants the NBA to admit that it is bending the rules for stars, which will never happen.
Even if most recognize that NBA stars have been getting favored treatment from officials for decades.
“I wish the NBA would just come out and say, ‘In most cases, this probably should be a suspension, but it’s not because we want our best in the NBA Finals and that’s the way it should be,’” Green said. “And I agree with that.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
