Draymond Green’s foul against Zach Edey during the Golden State Warriors’ recent match against the Memphis Grizzlies has been classified as a category-one flagrant foul, according to an NBA announcement on Saturday following a review of the incident.
The foul occurred with 7:06 remaining in the third quarter of Friday’s game, which the Warriors won with a score of 123-118. Green stumbled while driving toward the basket and fell close to Edey’s feet.
While on the ground, Green appeared to swing his left leg outward, inadvertently obstructing Edey’s movement by trapping his right ankle with his elbow and side. As a result, Edey tripped over Green’s leg, leading to a personal foul call.
Grizzlies’ head coach Taylor Jenkins expressed frustration after the game, noting, “Draymond grabs his leg and pulls him down, and it doesn’t get reviewed. I know there’s a code in this league, and I don’t understand how that wasn’t reviewed. Very disappointing.”
Had the foul been called as a flagrant at the moment, Memphis would have received two free throws and retained possession of the ball. Instead, it was ruled a transition-take foul, granting the Grizzlies only one free throw and possession.
Edey commented on the incident, stating, “It wasn’t a basketball play, if that’s what you’re asking. Definitely wasn’t a basketball play.”
Later in the game, Green received two technical fouls within just 33 seconds of the fourth quarter, resulting in his ejection with 1:14 remaining. Warriors coach Steve Kerr mentioned that he did not receive a clear explanation for the second technical foul.
After the game, Green reflected on his performance, stating, “I don’t need an explanation. I did my job. My job was done for the night. Moving on.” He finished the game with 13 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
This incident comes on the heels of Green’s previous suspension last season, where he missed 16 games for striking Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic. The league cited Green’s “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts” as a factor in that suspension, which followed a five-game ban for a headlock incident involving Minnesota center Rudy Gobert.
