Warriors’ Draymond Green criticizes referee after 10th technical foul: ‘As a Black man in America, don’t put your hand in my face’

SAN FRANCISCO – Standing a few feet from his locker and speaking an hour before midnight after the Warriors’ loss to the Pistons at Chase Center on Friday, Draymond Green did not sugarcoat his words. 

He vehemently disagreed with JT Orr’s officiating on inbounds plays, and described Orr’s decision to give Green a technical foul with 8:44 left in the second quarter as insulting for reasons that went beyond basketball. 

“I find it very ironic that I got a technical foul for telling a Caucasian referee not to put his hand in my face,” Green said. “As a Black man in America, don’t put your hand in my face. I said “Hey, don’t put your hand in my face” and I got a tech, so I thought that was the most interesting part of the night.”

Green and Orr had engaged in a minutes-long dialogue throughout the quarter, and Green continued the conversation even as Orr went to the scorers’ table to begin a replay review on a missed Pistons foul on Green. 

“Draymond, this is your chance to stop talking to me,” is what Green recalled Orr telling him, with Green responding, “Bro, don’t put your hand in my face.”

Green then said Orr told him, “Oh, tech.” 

It was Green’s 10th technical foul of the season. If he accumulates 16 during the regular season, Green will have to serve a mandatory one-game suspension, something he most recently did during the 2022-23 season when he received 17. 

The NBA did not respond immediately to a request for comment by the Bay Area News Group. 

“Everybody wants to talk about holding the line of respect, but that line needs to be held both ways,” Green said. “If the line won’t be held both ways, it won’t be held from my way, because we’re all men and we can all make decisions and choices. So let that be the last time that happens.”

One point of contention between Green and Orr was how the official allowed Piston Ausar Thompson to handle the ball after made Detroit baskets.

“He told me that Ausar Thompson can hold the ball, and look to see who to give the ball to after a made basket, and he said that’s not a delay of game,” Green claimed, noting that the decision allowed Detroit to slow down Golden State’s ability to get the ball inbounds quickly.

Green also said that Steph Curry, who left the game in th third quarter with a sore knee, was called for a delay of game for doing exactly what Thompson did. 

When Green brought up the difference in how the same situation was officiated, he said Orr had a sheepish response. 

“Same referee though, JT Orr. then, he’s like ‘Oh maybe you have a point,’” Green said. “No (expletive), you can’t change the rules in the middle of the game.” 

The Warriors will play their next game at home on Tuesday against Philadelphia.