Warriors' Draymond Green Confronts Fan Who Refused to Stop Calling Him 'Angel Reese'
A heated exchange erupted between Golden State forward Draymond Green and a fan in the front row at Sunday night's game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The fan, 35-year-old Sam Green from New Orleans, had been relentlessly heckling Draymond Green with chants of "Angel Reese," which referred to WNBA star Angel Reese who holds several rebounding records.
According to eyewitnesses, players began taking their positions along the key for the impending foul shots when Draymond Green strode over to confront Sam Green. The fan was seen holding his arms out in a defensive stance as they engaged in a nearly chest-to-chest conversation. Game officials intervened quickly, pulling Draymond Green away from the scene while ushers approached and spoke with Sam Green.
Draymond Green later revealed that game official Courtney Kirkland addressed the situation, telling him that he had handled it well and assuring him that nothing would come of it. However, in a bizarre twist, Draymond Green claimed that Sam Green shouted profanity at him before storming off, despite denying using any himself.
"It was a little unnerving," said Sam Green, who initially started heckling with the chants to mock Draymond Green's poor rebounding performance, but ultimately sparked a heated confrontation. Despite being warned by ushers and remaining in his seat, Sam Green refused to back down from the NBA star.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr avoided comment on the incident, citing that as long as it doesn't escalate, players are allowed to engage with fans. However, Draymond Green's confrontational nature has led to past fines and ejections for his interactions with fans. He later joked about being accustomed to heckling at road games, but admitted that a larger crowd would have been more intimidating.
Interestingly, the game drew an announced attendance of 18,373, which is close to capacity, yet many seats remained empty. Draymond Green attributed this to the dominant show put on by star point guard Stephen Curry, and suggested that the league should take note of smaller crowds in the future to attract more fans to arena games.
A heated exchange erupted between Golden State forward Draymond Green and a fan in the front row at Sunday night's game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The fan, 35-year-old Sam Green from New Orleans, had been relentlessly heckling Draymond Green with chants of "Angel Reese," which referred to WNBA star Angel Reese who holds several rebounding records.
According to eyewitnesses, players began taking their positions along the key for the impending foul shots when Draymond Green strode over to confront Sam Green. The fan was seen holding his arms out in a defensive stance as they engaged in a nearly chest-to-chest conversation. Game officials intervened quickly, pulling Draymond Green away from the scene while ushers approached and spoke with Sam Green.
Draymond Green later revealed that game official Courtney Kirkland addressed the situation, telling him that he had handled it well and assuring him that nothing would come of it. However, in a bizarre twist, Draymond Green claimed that Sam Green shouted profanity at him before storming off, despite denying using any himself.
"It was a little unnerving," said Sam Green, who initially started heckling with the chants to mock Draymond Green's poor rebounding performance, but ultimately sparked a heated confrontation. Despite being warned by ushers and remaining in his seat, Sam Green refused to back down from the NBA star.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr avoided comment on the incident, citing that as long as it doesn't escalate, players are allowed to engage with fans. However, Draymond Green's confrontational nature has led to past fines and ejections for his interactions with fans. He later joked about being accustomed to heckling at road games, but admitted that a larger crowd would have been more intimidating.
Interestingly, the game drew an announced attendance of 18,373, which is close to capacity, yet many seats remained empty. Draymond Green attributed this to the dominant show put on by star point guard Stephen Curry, and suggested that the league should take note of smaller crowds in the future to attract more fans to arena games.
. Nowadays it's all about the nosebleeds, and I feel for Draymond Green having to deal with that Sam dude getting under his skin 
. And honestly, I kinda got chills watching the exchange between them - like something out of an old-school sports movie 
. But at the same time, can't a guy just get some peace from fans? It's not like Draymond was being super unreasonable 
. And omg did you see that Curry dude light it up on the court? Like, I think 18k attendance is low for a Warriors game 
... maybe they should try doing something to liven up the crowd?
!!! i think draymond green handled it well considering how much hate he was getting from that fan lol but seriously, sam green needs to calm down and respect his boundaries 
i feel bad for the guy who got heckled though, no one deserves to be treated like that. and yeah, steve curry is a total rockstar 
, he totally stole the show! but idk why arenas aren't fully packed, i mean, nba games are supposed to be a huge deal 
Draymond Green just showed up to play basketball, not give a performance review! Meanwhile, I'm low-key impressed that Sam Green stuck it out for so long despite getting lectured by ushers. Like, who needs attention that bad? 
The real MVP of the game, though, is Steph Curry - he was on FIRE 
!
what's with him trying to get a rise outta Draymond? anyway, I think it's super impressive how Draymond kept his cool and didn't let Sam Green get under his skin - I mean, we all know Draymond can be intense on the court, but that's just part of his charm 
Draymond's idea about smaller crowds is def worth looking into - we need to attract more fans to those games! 
.
. maybe sam green wasn't perfect, but draymond green could've handled it better too 
. what's most important is that we try to stay calm, listen to each other, and find a way to resolve conflicts peacefully 
. and btw, have you guys seen the attendance numbers for this game? 18k+ people showed up but still left some seats empty... seems like there's room for growth in terms of fan engagement 
.
! calling out Draymond Green like that 
what's wrong with him 
. but at the same time, Sam Green's behavior was kinda shady 
and the Warriors got that W 
. arena games need more like that 
...
I'm not surprised about this, its just another example of how outta touch some people are 
. Anyway, at least Steve Kerr kept it real and said what everyone's thinking but didnt wanna say out loud 
.
! And yeah, maybe the league should take note of smaller crowds in the future... but only if we can get more fans like that awesome woman who was chanting 'Dub Nation forever!' 
I just checked the stats and did a quick search... according to ESPN, Draymond Green's rebounding percentage is 12.3% this season 
, which is actually pretty decent considering his position on the court! 
.
. I checked the data and it looks like they averaged around 19,500 fans per game last season, which is down from 20,200 in the previous season 
I can imagine how uncomfortable & upsetting it must've been for you, Draymond Green 
having a fan constantly heckle you like that 
but kudos to you for standing up for yourself 
Courtney Kirkland did seem to believe you when she spoke with you 
it's crazy how some people just won't take no for an answer though