Draymond Green has been suspended one game without pay for stomping on the chest of Domantas Sabonis, the NBA announced.
Draymond Green has been suspended one game without pay for stepping on the chest of Domantas Sabonis, the NBA announced.
Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal came to the defense of Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green after he stepped on the chest of Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis in Game 2 of their playoff matchup on Monday night.
The incident between the two players occurred in the fourth quarter. Sabonis was trying to go for the offensive rebound on a missed shot when he hit the floor near Green’s feet. Sabonis appeared to grab Green’s right leg as the forward was trying to move up the floor. Green attempted to break free as he was walking over Sabonis.
“I’d do the same thing. I really would. Don’t be grabbing me,” the former Los Angeles Lakers champion said. “What am I gonna do? Like, if I stay there and just try to run forward, I’ll fall. You gotta get him up off you. And if you get him up off you and you in the way, you might get stomped on. Was it a dirty play? Of course it was a dirty play. … If you don’t grab me, this won’t happen.”
Green was ejected in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game — which the Kings won 114-106 in Sacramento — following the move, which appeared to occur as Sabonis was on the ground after falling.
While on the ground, Sabonis appeared to wrap his arms around Green’s leg and hold on as the Warriors player lifted his foot.
As the Warriors ran in the opposite direction down the court with the ball, Green appeared to stamp on Sabonis’ chest, leaving the Lithuanian writhing on the ground.
After a lengthy review by the officials — much of which Sabonis spent lying on the court receiving treatment — the Kings big man was handed a technical foul for holding Green’s leg while Green was given a flagrant 2 foul, resulting in an automatic ejection.
When asked what the referees had told him, Green responded: “The explanation was I stomped too hard.”
Sabonis downplayed the incident after the victory in which he racked up 24 points and nine rebounds.
“We’re both fighting for the rebound,” Sabonis said in his postgame interview on TNT. “We fell on each other. Stuff happens. It’s basketball. We’ve got to move on to the next play.”
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, X-rays of Sabonis’ ribs and lungs following the incident showed no signs of injury.
