Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has built a reputation for being an aggressive and vocal presence on the floor for his team. While this has often resulted in him going overboard, even being labeled a “dirty” player in the process, Green firmly denies this.
On a recent episode of “The Draymond Green Show,” Green explicitly claimed that he wasn’t a dirty player. Instead, he changed the narrative, calling out Pelle Larsson and other European players for being dirty.
“Pelle Larsson’s been in the mix a bit this week. He got into it with Book [Devin Booker], then got into it with DeMar [DeRozan],” Green began. “My take on that is, I’ve played with a bunch of Europeans. They do little stuff.”
“There’s a difference, you see,” he continued. “People get mad at me and be like, ‘Draymond is dirty.’ I told y’all. Draymond’s not dirty. Draymond will f**k you up. I’m not dirty. I don’t do dirty things. I played for Tom Izzo, and if you did dirty things, it didn’t work. I don’t do dirty things. There’s not a player in the NBA who can tell you Draymond is a dirty player.”
“Europeans, though, there are a lot of Europeans who do dirty stuff on the basketball court. And for DBook and DeMar to get mad like that, there’s something we ain’t seeing.”
Draymond Green gave credit where it was due, adding that Pelle Larsson’s antics eventually paid off as both DeMar DeRozan and Devin Booker were handed technical fouls. However, he also issued a warning to the Heat forward, as players would be “going at” him with the same intention.
Is Draymond Green A Dirty Player?
Draymond Green boldly claimed that he isn’t a dirty player on his podcast, but the consensus suggests otherwise. Considering Green’s antics throughout the course of his career, there are enough events to suggest that he makes dirty plays.
Apart from the on-court scuffles and hard fouls earlier in his career, Green has also made some questionable plays this season.
During Thursday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, the Warriors forward intentionally elbowed Dwight Powell. Although it was eventually ruled a flagrant 1 foul, Green obviously disagreed with the call.
Draymond Green was assessed a flagrant foul for elbowing Dwight Powell.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 23, 2026
Green’s antics have harmed the Warriors’ performance this season. With the accumulation of fouls, the forward constantly puts himself at risk of being sidelined during important games.
Needless to say, this season has been frustrating for the player and for head coach Steve Kerr, who got into a heated exchange with Draymond Green on the sidelines last month. Considering that the Warriors currently place eighth in the West with a 25-21 record and field a significantly shorthanded roster, the future looks bleak.
It wouldn’t be outrageous to say that Golden State’s current condition could be traced back to Green’s feud with Kevin Durant and the altercation with Jordan Poole. Still, given how valuable he has been to the franchise, this would also be a harsh assessment.
