Former Warriors center Andrew Bogut offered a blunt defense of Draymond Green amid ongoing scrutiny surrounding the veteran forward’s on-court behavior and public image.
Speaking on the Rogue Bogues podcast, Bogut acknowledged Green’s history of on-court altercations but argued that his aggressive style is key to his success.
“Look, I’ve been Draymond’s teammate. What makes him great is that he plays angry,” Bogut said, via HoopsHype. “Sometimes he toes the line. Sometimes he crosses it.”
Bogut referenced Green’s past incidents, including his practice altercation with Jordan Poole and multiple ejections, but insisted that intensity is central to his identity as a player.
“You’ve got the punch with Poole in practice, numerous kicks to the nuts—that kind of stuff. But that’s what makes him great,” he added.
The comments come after Green delivered an emotional postgame interview following the Warriors’ 117-93 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.
“I’m not an angry black man,” Green told reporters. “I’m a very successful, educated black man with a great family. I’m great at basketball. I’m great at what I do.”
Green was responding to renewed media narratives about his temperament, which have resurfaced following another postseason technical foul—his fifth of the playoffs.
Bogut dismissed the portrayal of Green as a media-driven stereotype.
“I don’t buy into the narrative of a PR push labeling him the ‘angry black man.’ He is angry. He plays with a chip on his shoulder,” Bogut said.
“Might throw a cheap shot here and there, and if you don’t have that, you don’t have Draymond,” Bogut said. “That’s what made him so tough as a teammate.”
