The recent spat between Draymond Green and Steve Kerr sparked many mixed reactions — with the most fascinating of them all coming from Jimmy Butler.
The Golden State Warriors star provided a raunchy reaction to watching his teammate and coach get into a heated bench-side exchange during Monday’s home win over the Orlando Magic that resulted in Green storming out of the huddle and retreating to the locker room.
Asked about the since-viral moment after Golden State’s Christmas Day home win over Dallas Mavericks, Butler emphasized that he loved to see the intensity from both Green and Kerr — perhaps a bit too much.
“I like that. Y’all yell at each other. Turned me on a little bit, I’m not going to even lie,” said Butler, who was fresh off contributing 14 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists in the win.
“I like that. I like that confrontation. It’s good for us.”
The 36-year-old Butler, acquired from the Miami Heat ahead of last season’s trade deadline, might still be a relative newcomer on the Warriors, but it didn’t take long for him to understand the dynamic between Kerr and his longtime stars, including the hard-nosed former Defensive Player of the Year.
Adding context to his not-so-safe-for-work soundbite, Butler emphasized that intensity — and occasional conflict — is simply part of a winning culture, especially in the case of a dynasty that won four championships in less than a decade.
“That’s just part of the game,” Butler said. “When you’ve been together for so long, you’re going to have arguments. It ain’t going to be quiet all the time, and it’s okay.
“You’ve got two fierce competitors that have won it together, and that want to continually win. … And if you’re looking at me, I’m just looking up like, ‘Alright, here we go.’ I expect that to happen. That’s OK, we move on from it.”
Kerr apologized Wednesday for his role in escalating the fracas, also revealing that he and Green made amends and were ready to move on from the unfortunate incident.
Green remained in the starting five on Christmas, adding seven points, five rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes.
The Warriors (16–15, eighth in the Western Conference) have won three straight games and will kick off a three-game road trip in Toronto on Dec. 28.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
