NBA
How many games has Draymond Green been suspended for? Does a flagrant 2 mean suspension?
How many times has Golden State’s Draymond Green been suspended for games, and does receive a Flagrant two foul result in an automatic suspension?
On Monday, during Game 2 of the first-round playoff series matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings, Draymond Green was ejected in the fourth quarter. This occurred after Green was flagged for a flagrant foul due to stomping on Domantas Sabonis’ midsection.
Draymond Green’s infamous history of flagrant fouls
Given Green’s account of accumulating 163 career technical fouls, 17 ejections, and 4 suspensions, his past behavior significantly influenced his decision to eject him.
It may come as a surprise, but Draymond Green has only been suspended three times before throughout his NBA career. The first of these suspensions occurred during the 2016 NBA Finals when Green was charged with a flagrant foul for hitting LeBron James in the groin during Game 4. Green received his second suspension during the 2018-19 season when the team disciplined him for arguing with Kevin Durant on the bench. His third suspension occurred later in the same season when he accumulated his 16th technical foul. Additionally, he was suspended during the preseason for punching his teammate Jordan Poole during training.
NBA:
Following the altercation between Green and Sabonis, the NBA investigated and interviewed Green, Sabonis, and others involved in the incident. Sabonis had lost his footing and grabbed onto Green’s leg, but Green shook free before stepping forcefully onto Sabonis’ chest. Sabonis remained on the ground for some time and was later diagnosed with a bruised sternum. Sabonis was given a technical foul for his role in grabbing Green’s leg, while Green received a Flagrant Foul 2 and was ejected from the game.
The game’s official referee, Kane Fitzgerald, explained that Green was issued a Flagrant 2 due to his actions which included a “windup to the face, impact to the face, the follow-through to the jersey, and the throw down to the ground.”
Flagrant foul 2 explained
According to the NBA rulebook, a Flagrant 2 foul is an “unnecessary and excessive” foul. Like the Flagrant 1 foul, the interpretation of a Flagrant 2 can vary. Here is the official wording from the NBA rulebook describing what constitutes a Flagrant 2 foul.
- Rule 12B, Section IV-b. If contact committed against a player, with or without the ball, is interpreted to be unnecessary and excessive, a flagrant foul—penalty (2) will be assessed. A personal foul is charged to the offender, and a team foul is assigned to the team.
- All Flagrant fouls are reviewed. In this case, the player who commits the foul is ejected, and the fouled team gets two free throws and retains possession of the ball.
The NBA and its officials examine six different criteria when evaluating a possible flagrant foul to provide a clearer understanding. These criteria are outlined in the NBA rulebook as follows:
- 1. The severity of the contact
- 2. Whether or not the player was making a legitimate basketball play (e.g., whether a player is making a legitimate effort to block a shot; note, however, that a foul committed during a block attempt can still be considered flagrant if other criteria are present, such as recklessness and hard contact to the head)
- 3. Whether on a foul committed with a player’s arm or hand, the fouling player wound up and/or followed through after making contact
- 4. The potential for injury resulting from contact (e.g., a blow to the head and a foul committed while a player is in a vulnerable position)
- 5. The severity of any injury suffered by the offended player
- 6. The outcome of the contact (e.g., whether it led to an altercation).