Golden State forward Draymond Green confronted a taunting fan on the side of the court in New Orleans on Monday (AEDT), going face-to-face with the man in the second quarter.
Green had been pinged for a shooting foul on Pelicans forward Herbert Jones when the vocal Pelicans fan leapt to his feet, arms open wide and cheered from his seat close to the court.
The words that followed his applause got under the skin of Green, who walked over to the fan as players began taking their positions for Jones’ free throw.
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Game officials were quick to intervene as Green moved closer to the man, with his Golden State teammates also rushing in to pull their teammate back onto the court.
“He’s crossed the line with something he said,” an NBC commentator said on the broadcast.
It was then reported that the patron had been calling Green “Angel Reese”, a WNBA player best known for her rivalry with Caitlin Clark.
Draymond Green gets into a verbal altercation with a fan. Getty
At the time, Green had several rebounds but had not attempted any shots, with the fan potentially referencing Reese’s reputation for being a rebound machine.
The fan was not ejected from the venue, however, he did receive a red card warning, which is shown to coaches, managers or spectators who “engage in behaviour that is dangerous or violent”.
Asked about the incident post-match, Green told reporters that he had moved on.
“He just kept calling me a woman,” Green said when asked what the fan said to him.
“He was calling me a woman’s name – do I look like a woman?
“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.
“He was talking at first (when Green approached) and then I got a little closer and he didn’t say much else. It’s fine, we move on.”
Stephen Curry and Draymond Green high five. NBAE via Getty Images
It is not the first time in his 13-year-long career that Green has confronted fans for their behaviour, having last been hit with a fine for an angry confrontation in 2022.
Despite the altercation, Green claimed he is not against fans calling out to players, as long as it doesn’t cross a line.
“I love disrespect on the road because we win a lot,” he said.
“This year we haven’t won a lot but usually we win a lot on the road.
“Fighting in front of a (rival) crowd is always fun, but this crowd wasn’t too loud to begin with.”
The Warriors, who won the match against the Pelicans 124-106, will remain on the road for their next two games. Up first, is the Orlando Magic on Wednesday at 11am AEDT.