Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has expressed his dissatisfaction with the NBA’s system of fining players for their on-court behavior. .
During a discussion with four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal on the latest episode of “The Big Podcast With Shaq,” Green opened up about his experience with fines.
“The [NBA] fines to me don’t make sense,” Green said. “When you consider how hard we work to accumulate wealth, often coming from situations that many people never escape, the way we get fined feels counterproductive. It’s almost like the system isn’t set up for us to remain wealthy after our careers. The way we’re taxed and fined is a big part of that.”
“You hear about all these programs—this program this, that program that—that stuff is just to cover everyone’s behinds. But if I do something wrong, I lose $100,000? It took my mom four years to make that kind of money when I was growing up. And I can lose it in a single night because a referee got mad at me and didn’t like what I said? Losing $5,000 for a technical foul? It’s ridiculous.”
Green has earned a reputation in the NBA as an instigator, known for his history of on-court antics and suspensions.
His most notable penalty came during the 2016 NBA Finals when he was suspended for Game 5 following an altercation with LeBron James in Game 4.
The Warriors, who were up 3-1 in the series, lost the next three games and the championship.
Green’s behavior has continued to draw attention.
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Ahead of the 2022-23 season, he spent time away from the Warriors after punching teammate Jordan Poole during practice.
In the 2023-24 regular season, he was suspended twice: five games for putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold and 12 games for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurki?.
Following the incident with Nurki?, the league required Green to meet with a counselor and NBA representatives to demonstrate his commitment to maintaining the standards expected of players.
These suspensions have been costly for Green.
He lost over $769,000 in game checks for the Gobert incident and nearly $154,000 per game missed during his suspension for the Nurki? incident.
Despite these financial hits, Green has made over $177 million over his 12-year career and has three seasons remaining on the four-year, $100 million contract he signed in 2023.
