After this week, Draymond Green might not have any allies left in the media.
And in due time, he might not have a role with TNT, either. That’s obviously up to the studio execs at Warner Bros. Discovery. Still, Awful Announcing’s Matt Yoder laid out the case for why TNT should cut ties with the increasingly controversial Golden State Warriors forward.
Green’s behavior has often overshadowed what many see as the most apparent successor for Charles Barkley on Inside the NBA. The latest and most egregious example of his behavior crossing a proverbial line came this week when, unsourced and unverified, he said on his podcast that Karl-Anthony Towns sat out the Knicks’ recent game against the Warriors in New York because he didn’t want to play against former teammate Jimmy Butler.
The implication was clear — KAT hid or avoided Butler due to a past confrontation with the Timberwolves. Chris Broussard echoed the comments on FS1, and the narrative quickly spiraled out of control.
Only it wasn’t true. It was later clarified that Towns had missed the game to attend the funeral of a close family friend.
Zach Gelb of Infinity Sports Network says that not only did Green have an egg on his face, but he also looked like a “heartless a-hole” in the process.
“Draymond Green is a heartless a-hole — that’s what he is,” said Gelb. “What he just did is disgusting. You will get information wrong. You will have bad takes when you do this job, but there’s difference in saying, ‘Hey, I think this team’s gonna win,’ or ‘Hey, I think this team’s gonna go with this draft pick,’ and you get that wrong. When you’re talking about Karl-Anthony Towns missing a game, and you hear it’s about the incident going back to Minnesota, and you claim that Karl-Anthony Towns is ducking Jimmy Butler, you better be right on that.”
Gelb wasn’t even close to done laying into Green.
“And then it comes out, unfortunately, and everyone kind of knew that something happened with Karl-Anthony Towns’ family, that a family friend passed away because of breast cancer,” the host of The Zach Gelb Show continued. “And how about the lying P.O.S. move that Draymond Green in this quotes issued, where he sits there and he pretends like this is the first time he’s hearing that. And he’s like, ‘That’s unfortunate to hear, but I heard what I heard,’ and you didn’t walk it back. You didn’t do what any normal human being would do and apologize.
“Instead, you acted like a damn fool — and you’re a clown. That’s what you are, and you have no sympathy. And you don’t have a heart. Because all you should’ve done, Draymond, when you heard that, instead of plug your show with Baron Davis and say, ‘Guys, I got that one wrong. My thoughts and prayers go out to Karl-Anthony Towns and his family, and I got that wrong. It will never happen again; terrible job by me.’ Instead, you had to push this narrative about Jimmy Butler and KAT. You had to show zero remorse and then plug your stupid show.
“Screw Draymond Green. F him,” Gelb added. “I’m sorry, that really makes me annoyed. I’m just someone the other day that was defending him. And the other day, saying, ‘Oh, I’m starting to like him.’ Bleep him. He’s a clown. He is an absolute clown. Have a heart. You don’t need to do everything for clicks. Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.
“And you know what? Karl-Anthony Towns wouldn’t do this, but maybe a Knicks teammate should do this. The next time the Knicks play the Warriors — whenever they meet up next — I hope someone punches Draymond Green. Disgusting”
Gelb didn’t mince words, and he’s got every reason not to. Green’s refusal to take responsibility for spreading misinformation paints him negatively. But his failure to acknowledge his mistake and double down on an entirely false narrative only deepens the resentment of those like Gelb.
You can tell that Gelb’s frustration is raw and honest, not just performative. The kind of visceral, justified anger comes when someone crosses a line and refuses to make it right.
If Green keeps this up, it won’t just be jeopardizing his media career — it’ll be whatever credibility he has left.