Draymond Green revealed what New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns told him in their heated exchange during the Golden State Warriors‘ 97-94 victory at home on March 15.
It was their first meeting since Green’s irresponsible comment about Towns’ absence during the Knicks-Warriors game in New York on March 4.
“I’m gonna tell you what he said BD (Baron Davis) because I think this was a big moment for Towns,” Green said on his podcast “The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis” on Friday, March 21.” I called him soft he said, ‘Man, you a hoe. Hoe, hoe, hoe!’ I said, get him out of here. Go sit him down.”
Towns had an emotional game, leading the Knicks with 29 points and 12 rebounds as he almost single-handedly won the game for his team. The All-Star big man uncorked a personal 11-3 run in the fourth quarter to rally the Knicks.
“So I’m loving that,” Green continued. “If Karl-Anthony Towns was my teammate, that’s what I’m looking to get out of him every single night. If he played that physical all the time, he’d be much more respected around the NBA than he is.
“He’s respected as a talented player. But you saw Matt Barnes say the other day, KAT’s problem is he a cat. He not a dog. If KAT come out and play with the type of dog [mentality] that he played with against me the other night, man, good luck guarding Karl-Anthony Towns — he’s a different player.”
Draymond Green’s Irresponsible Comment
The Green-Towns matchup spiced up the game that was played with a playoff atmosphere — physical and a lot of jawing — after the Green’s unsubstantiated comments on why Towns missed the Knicks-Warriors game in New York on March 4.
“Some would say [Towns] didn’t play because Jimmy [Butler] was in the building,” Green said on his podcast. “I saw KAT’s pops at the game. I got incredible love for the OG, his pops is an incredible man. But yeah, they say KAT didn’t play because Jimmy came into town … I don’t know what was hurt. I didn’t look that deep into it to figure out what his injury was or nothing like that.”
But it turned out Towns missed the game to attend to the funeral of a dear friend.
“This is one of those moments where I had to be there for my family and be there for the kids that lost somebody really special to them,” Towns said, per AP, when he returned to the Knicks lineup the following game.
Green faced backlash and was called out by reporters.
Sorry But Not Sorry
When told about the real reason, Green did not take back his irresponsible comment and only sent sympathies to Towns.
“That’s unfortunate, I’m sorry to hear that,” Green told reporters after the Warriors’ 121-119 win over the Brooklyn Nets on March 6. “That sucks, but my comments that I made were, you know, ‘People, what I heard was this.’ That’s what I heard. So I do send my well wishes to him and his family.
“It’s inevitable, we all experience death in one way or another, and we’ll all experience it in the same way one day. So it’s unfortunate, you never wish that on anybody, but ‘The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis’ must go on.”
Green had the last laugh though as he scored the game-sealing basket over Towns, who fouled out late in the fourth quarter.
