The Minnesota Timberwolves say they are investigating if a fan directed racially charged comments toward Golden State's Draymond Green during the fourth quarter of a playoff game between the teams on Thursday night.
The incident, which the Timberwolves confirmed Friday, preceded Green making a brief postgame statement saying he has grown tired of what he believes is the perception of him being an 鈥渁ngry Black man.鈥
A fan, the Timberwolves said, was ejected following an incident with Green. The Timberwolves did not detail what happened in the incident, other than the fan violated 鈥渢he NBA Fan Code of Conduct.鈥 There was a video circulating on social media showing Green, riding a stationary bike in an effort to stay loose midway through the fourth quarter and with security near him, responding to something said by someone in the stands.
鈥淎 second individual, who was identified by surrounding patrons as making racially charged comments towards Green, left on his own before arena security could confirm his identity," the Timberwolves said. 鈥淭he team is continuing to investigate, and additional action may be taken.鈥
Green got his fifth technical foul of these playoffs earlier in Thursday's game. He did not take questions afterward, only giving a brief statement to a small number of reporters in the locker room postgame.
鈥淚鈥檓 tired of the agenda to make me look like the angry Black man,鈥 Green said in those remarks, the entire session lasting only a few seconds. 鈥淚鈥檓 a very successful, educated Black man with a great family, and I鈥檓 great at basketball and great at what I do. The agenda to try to keep making me look like an angry Black man is crazy. I鈥檓 sick of it. It鈥檚 ridiculous.鈥
With that, Green walked away. It was not clear if he was responding to the technical foul, the fan interaction, or both.
鈥淭he Timberwolves and Target Center are firmly committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and safe environment for all,鈥 the Minnesota statement said. "Racist, hateful, or threatening behavior has no place at our games or in our community and will not be tolerated under any circumstances.鈥
Green 鈥 who has made headlines numerous times in his career for his physicality on the court 鈥 made that comment after Golden State's loss to Minnesota on Thursday night, a game where he got a technical foul after flailing his arms and making contact after getting fouled by Timberwolves' Naz Reid.
Officials reviewed the play after Reid fell to the floor, assessing the technical.
If Green gets two more technical fouls in these playoffs, he will face a mandatory one-game suspension by league rule. Green will receive a warning letter from the league now that he has five postseason technicals, which is standard NBA practice.
鈥淚t's part of Draymond,鈥 Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the Thursday's game when asked about the latest technical. 鈥淭he same thing that makes him such a competitor and winner puts him over the top sometimes. We know that. It's our job to try to help him stay poised, stay composed. But the competition is so meaningful to him that occasionally he goes over the line.鈥
The Golden State-Minnesota series resumes Saturday in San Francisco, knotted at a game apiece.
Including playoffs, according to data compiled by SportRadar, Green has been assessed 202 technical fouls in his career.
He has faced NBA discipline countless times. Among them: Green missed 16 games last season after a suspension for striking in the face during a Dec. 12, 2023, game, earned a five-game ban earlier that season after an altercation with Minnesota's Rudy Gobert, of Sacramento鈥檚 Domantas Sabonis and earned a suspension during the 2023 playoffs, plus missed Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals because of an accumulation of flagrant-foul points during that postseason.
___
AP NBA:
