Draymond Green has made a Hall of Fame career out of his defensive ability and basketball IQ, but several on-court incidents have put him at the center of several controversies. From kicking and stomping other players to being ejected from games, Green plays with emotion and edge - qualities that appeared to draw the attention of one overzealous fan.
During Sunday's game between Green's Golden State Warriors and the New Orleans Pelicans, a fan heckled Green as a New Orleans player went to the free-throw line. Green and the fan continued to talk to one another, and at one point were just inches apart before officials stepped in.
The refs took Green away from the fan, who said that he was calling Green "Angel Reese." After the game, the former defensive player of the year seemed to confirm the source of the heckling.
Green Explains What The Fan Said to Him
"He just kept calling me a woman," Green said, clarifying to reporters that the fan referred to him by "a woman's name."
Green said that he initially found the exchange funny, but noted that he was disrespected.
Draymond had a bizarre interaction with a fan sitting courtside pic.twitter.com/TVHDhBeZ9F
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 17, 2025
"It was a good joke at first, but you can't keep calling me a woman. I got four kids, one on the way. You can't keep calling me a woman," the player said.
The fan, who identified as Sam Green, said that he taunted Green with the "Angel Reese" mention because he missed several shots and grabbed his own rebound. Reese famously recovers her own misses to give her team more opportunities on the offensive end for second-chance points.
"I wasn't using profanity, and for him to walk 12 feet off the court to come and get in my face like that, it was a little unnerving," Sam Green said. He also said that the player cursed at him and threatened to punch him if he continued the taunting.
The fan was given a warning by ushers at the Smoothie King Center, but he was ultimately allowed to remain in his seat for the rest of the game.
Green, Steve Kerr React to Interaction
"He was talking at first," Draymond Green told reporters after the game. "Then you get a little closer and he didn't really say much else. But it's fine. We move on."
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr - who has personal experience with heckling from fans - said that it was OK for Green "to go over and have a discussion" with the fan as long as things didn't escalate.
"It would have been nice if security had gotten there a little bit earlier," Kerr added, as officially seemed to allow the back-and-forth to last longer than typically expected.
Green and the Warriors would get the last laugh, defeating the Pelicans 124-106. Green finished as a key contributor in the win for Golden State, adding six points, 10 rebounds and six assists. It was the third straight win for the Warriors, who defeated the San Antonio Spurs in a pair of close matchups last week.
This story was originally reported by Men's Journal on Nov 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the Sports section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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