Draymond Green Calls Wembanyama 'Dirty' and Says NBA Has Been Lenient

Golden State forward Draymond Green criticized San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama during the NBA Finals, saying the league has been overly protective of him. Green, who has long been associated with hard fouls and suspensions, argued that Wembanyama is close to an automatic ban after accumulating three flagrant foul points in the playoffs and being one away from suspension.

Green’s comments were especially striking because they came after Wembanyama’s latest flagrant, an elbow to New York center Karl-Anthony Towns during Game 4 as San Antonio’s collapse continued. Green said he does not like seeing playoff series decided by suspensions, but added, “He probably should be suspended at some point or have been already.” He also said the NBA has shown Wembanyama “a lot of grace.”

In his harshest remarks, Green tied Wembanyama’s physical style to his European background. “Victor Wembanyama is a great player, but he is a European player,” Green said. “European players are dirty.” He said people tell him not to say that, but insisted, “Draymond will break you, but Draymond is not dirty. That is completely different.” Green added that beating France on home soil at the Olympics mattered because “Europeans want to take our game, and they are dirty.”

The irony, as the article notes, is that Green is the one criticizing Wembanyama from the edge of suspension. Green himself was suspended from Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals after collecting enough flagrant fouls, a ban that came in the series Golden State ultimately lost after blowing a 3-1 lead to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Green said he still believes the league’s handling of Wembanyama is a business decision and that fans want to see the Finals with him on the court.