(AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green accused a “Caucasian” referee of slapping him with a technical foul after he told the ref to not put his hands in Green’s face. However, footage from the game does not show the ref ever raising his hand to Green during their argument; more on that in a moment.
Green vented to reporters after the Warriors played the Pistons on Friday night that he was penalized for telling the ref to not raise his hands.
“I find it very ironic that I got a technical foul for telling a Caucasian referee not to put his hand in my face,” Green said. “As a Black man in America, don’t put your hand in my face.”
Green was talking about veteran ref J.T. Orr, a White official with 13 years of NBA experience.
A reporter then asked Green if Orr tried to “explain” himself to the four-time champ.
“He said, ‘Draymond this your chance to stop talking to me!'” Green shouted while impersonating the ref. He stepped forward and raised his right hand up as he was doing his Orr impression.
"I find it very ironic that I got a technical foul for telling a Caucasian referee not to put his hand in my face. As a black man in America, don't put your hand in my face."
Draymond Green speaks up loud and clear on the technical foul he was assessed tonight. pic.twitter.com/OvTVZXol9B
— KNBR (@KNBR) January 31, 2026
The broadcast doesn’t seem to back that up, though.
Green is seen yelling at Orr that he was grabbed by a defender in the second quarter of the game, stopping him from catching a pass that he fumbled out of bounds. The game took a timeout break, but Green and the ref continued to jaw at each other as he headed towards the bench; after the verbal squabbling, Orr hit him with a technical foul.
You can watch that moment below:
Green is not someone you want to get angry, based on some of his past run-ins. He infamously slugged his own teammate in practice in 2022, and he has a lengthy mixtape of dirty plays that includes kicking one opponent in the groin.
He has won four championships with the Warriors and made more than $200 million in his career.
Watch his comments via local radio station KNBR above.
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