PHOENIX — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green isn’t apologizing for throwing Phoenix Suns center Khaman Maluach to the floor during the teams’ Monday night matchup.
Apr 8, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts against the Phoenix Suns during the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The incident happened during the third quarter when Maluach attempted to finish near the basket. Green, who had gone to the floor during the sequence, got back up, grabbed the Suns center and threw him down to the hardwood.
Phoenix forward Dillon Brooks immediately confronted Green to defend his teammate. The exchange escalated before players and officials separated the two. Green received a technical foul for throwing Maluach and a second technical later on for his confrontation with Brooks, which led to his ejection.
Draymond Green says he fouled Khaman Maluach to command respect
“Some of those fouls just had to happen. They just have to in order to command the respect that you must command in order to protect a rim.”
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— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 5, 2026
While the play highlighted the physicality Maluach will face as he adjusts to the NBA, Green saw it as a message he needed to deliver.
“Some of those fouls just had to happen. They just have to in order to command the respect that you must command in order to protect a rim,” Green said on The Draymond Green Show. “The one with Maluach, I’ll take that one. That’s got to happen.”
Apr 12, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Phoenix Suns center Khaman Maluach (10) runs down the court during a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Green accepted the technical fouls he received but said he wouldn’t have changed his actions in the situation and would do it again.
“Little tech for throwing him. Yeah, no problem. I’ll take that,” Green said. “The next time you try something like that, you got to know that that comes with something else … That’s all a part of protecting a rim, being an anchor of a defense. I want to help y’all understand that and let you know that, yeah, that will happen again.”
Apr 17, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) defends against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the first half in the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Even without Green, the Warriors edged out the Suns 116-113, despite Phoenix holding a 17-point lead at one point. But along with the comeback win, many are going back to the incident that may have flipped the game upside down for both teams.
Green has made his stance clear, and the next time Maluach challenges him at the rim, the Suns center knows what to expect.
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Wendy Lopez is a reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow her on her X account, @wlopezde
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