Draymond Green 'lost all respect' for Sabonis after he refused to shake hands
Draymond Green took the feud between him and Domantas Sabonis a step further when he hopped on his "The Draymond Green Show" a day after eliminating the Sacramento Kings in seven games.
"Lost a lot of respect for Sabonis," Green said. "You don't shake guys hands after you lose? I don't respect that … You lost, deal with it. Pay your respect."
After the elimination game, Green was seen shaking hands and giving advice to Kings players in De'Aaron Fox, Malik Monk and former teammate Harrison Barnes with no sight of Sabonis.
It is a common tradition to practice sportsmanship to shake an opponent's hand after defeat, atleast that's what Draymond Green was expecting out of Domantas Sabonis after the final buzzer went off in the Kings' Golden 1 Center.
The rivalry started in the fourth quarter of Game 2 when Sabonis fell to the ground after trying to secure a rebound and got his arms entangled with Green's left leg. In the moment of losing balance, Draymond Green stepped on Sabonis' chest and jumped forward to regain his balance.
Sabonis was given a technical foul while Green's excessive move received a flagrant 2, an ejection and later got suspended for Game 3.
After the game, Green spoke with the media and gave his perspective on what happened.
"My leg got grabbed -- the second time in two nights -- and the referee is just watching," Green said. "I got to land my foot somewhere, and I'm not the most flexible person, so it's not stretching that far. ... I can only step so far with someone pulling my leg away."
From Sabonis' perspective, on the other hand, he was displeased with how the altercation went down.
"When I fell, I was protecting myself, and then the incident happened," Sabonis said. "There is no room for that in our game today."
The matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings was the only first-round series that went seven games with the young core of the Kings pushing the defending champions to the brink of elimination.
Draymond Green on gaining respect for De'Aaron Fox following Game 7 win
During post-Game 7 interviews, Draymond Green made it an emphasis to give Kings star De'Aaron Fox his due respect following an incredible season.
"I’ve lost a lot of respect for guys over the years in the playoffs," Green said. "And then there’s some you gain respect for. There’s some you see and you know they’re cut from that same cloth you feel like you’re cut from and Fox is one of those guys."
Compared to how Draymond Green took the absence of Sabonis' sportsmanship, De'Aaron Fox earned the respect of him after putting up an impressive fight against the defending champions while also sharing a moment after the game ended.
In his first postseason appearance, De'Aaron Fox averaged 27.4 points on 42.4% shooting, including 33.3% from three-point range, 7.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 54 assists.