Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been fined $50,000 by the NBA for making a comment deemed inappropriate and for questioning the integrity of game officials during the team’s 102-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3.
The league announced the disciplinary action on Wednesday, May 14, citing Green’s conduct after fouling out late in the fourth quarter.
The fine stems from remarks Green made following his sixth personal foul with 4:38 left in the game. As he sat on the bench during a timeout, broadcast cameras captured him referencing the 5.5-point betting spread that had been widely reported by sportsbooks ahead of the matchup. At the time of the comment, the Timberwolves were leading 102-94 with just 15.2 seconds remaining.
Although Green’s remarks were not made publicly in a postgame press conference, the league viewed the insinuation as damaging to the perception of officiating integrity. Sources confirmed to ESPN’s Shams Charania that the fine was tied to Green’s apparent allusion to gambling odds while suggesting that game officials influenced the outcome.
The final moments of the game saw the Warriors make two three-point attempts, including a successful shot from Jonathan Kuminga with 5.3 seconds left, closing the gap to five points, precisely matching the spread in question.
This latest fine adds to Green’s long history of disciplinary issues in the league. He currently leads all players in the postseason with five technical fouls and would be subject to an automatic one-game suspension if he reaches seven. He has also accrued two flagrant fouls during this playoff run.
According to salary tracking site Spotrac, Green has been fined nearly $1 million over the course of his NBA career, with $185,000 of that total related to actions toward officials. His suspensions have cost him an additional $3.2 million in salary.
The incident raises continued concerns about player conduct in relation to sports betting, a growing industry that has seen increasing integration with professional sports leagues.