Draymond Green covertly takes shot at Shaquille O’Neal & Charles Barkley for mocking Anthony Davis' injury
Draymond Green wasn't too happy to hear that the Inside the NBA crew of Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley was making fun of Anthony Davis. After the LA Lakers' big man was hit with an accidental elbow that forced him to leave the game, Shaq and Chuck laughed about the moment post-game.
As reports emerged that Davis had been taken to the back in a wheelchair after walking off the court, many feared the worst. Fortunately, Davis doesn't seem to have symptoms of a concussion right now. Despite that, concussion symptoms can develop after and could begin to surface in the coming day.
During a recent episode of The Draymond Green Show, the outspoken Golden State Warriors veteran weighed in on Shaq and Chuck's criticism. The way he sees things, there was nothing funny about the injury, even if it didn't look very bad. As he revealed, he's glad Davis is likely to play in a pivotal Game 6.
"Don't play with those head injuries man. They're serious. I saw a lot of people laughing and talk like- but it's a hit to the head. One small hit to the head can change everything in your life so I don't really understand the joke. Every time you step out on the basketball court, on the football field, on the ice, on the pitch, you're risking your life.
"One injury can change everything. Not this past world cup, but the world cup before, Neymar had an injury to his back that almost paralyzed him that was a couple centimeters away from paralyzing him and so I don't quite understand the laughing."
Looking at another example of Draymond Green's comments: Maurice Stokes
As Draymond Green quickly pointed out, a knock to the head might permanently ruin an athlete's career. Thankfully, such injuries are uncommon, and in the past have resulted in players hitting their heads on the floor rather than being struck by an errant elbow.
Maurice Stokes collided with a player and hit his head on the floor during the 1957-58 NBA season, as longtime NBA fans may recall. Stokes continued the game after being knocked out and regained consciousness. Stokes' internal injuries worsened several days after flying with the team.
(Suggested Reading: Kendrick Perkins sings Nikola Jokic's praises)
He fell into a coma as doctors diagnosed him as being paralyzed. 12 years after falling into a coma and becoming paralyzed from his in-game fall, Stokes passed away at the age of 36.
Given that, Brian Windhorst has made it clear that Davis' status could change depending on whether or not he develops symptoms leading up to Game 6 tonight. As Windhorst explained on First Take this week, no two concussions are the same.
With Game 6 set to tip off on Friday night, only time will tell whether Anthony Davis and the Lakers are able to send Draymond Green and the Warriors packing!