Draymond Green’s Tensions with Referee JT Orr Boil Over in Warriors’ Loss to Pistons
Draymond Green has never been one to hold back - not with his play, not with his voice, and certainly not when he feels disrespected. That edge has helped define his career, but it’s also led him into familiar territory this season: another technical foul, another confrontation, and another postgame flashpoint.
Friday night at Chase Center, during the Golden State Warriors’ loss to the Detroit Pistons, Green found himself at the center of yet another heated exchange - this time with veteran referee JT Orr. The incident marked Green’s 10th technical foul of the season, inching him closer to a potential suspension.
The friction between Green and Orr simmered early and often. From the opening tip, Green was visibly frustrated with the officiating, directing much of that frustration toward Orr.
Things came to a head with just under four minutes left in the second quarter, when Green was hit with a technical foul after a contentious verbal exchange. The spark?
Green told Orr not to wave his hands in his face - a gesture the forward clearly took issue with.
But Green wasn’t done.
After the game, he didn’t mince words when reflecting on the moment. “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.
I thought that was the most interesting thing tonight.”
Green doubled down on the need for mutual respect between players and officials, emphasizing that the standard can’t be one-sided. “He said, ‘Draymond, this is your chance to stop talking to me,’” Green recalled.
“I said, ‘Bro, don’t put your hand in my face.’ Oh, tech.
Okay. Everybody wants to talk about holding the line of respect - that line needs to be held both ways.”
Green’s comments reflect a larger theme that’s been bubbling beneath the surface all season: the often-tense dynamic between players and referees. And for Green, who plays with emotion and intensity on every possession, those moments can escalate quickly - especially when he feels the respect isn’t mutual.
The night’s tension didn’t stop there. Green also took issue with a separate call - or lack thereof - involving Pistons rookie Ausar Thompson. Green believed Thompson was deliberately slowing the game after a made basket, and he didn’t agree with Orr’s ruling that the move didn’t constitute a delay of game.
“He told me that Ausar Thompson can hold the ball, and look to see who to give the ball to after a made basket,” Green said. “And he said that’s not a delay of the game.”
While the Warriors ultimately came up short - their second loss in three games - the postgame narrative was dominated by Green’s fiery exchange with Orr. And with 10 technicals now on his record, Green is just six away from triggering an automatic one-game suspension. That’s a line he’s crossed before, and one he’s now inching toward again.
For the Warriors, who are fighting to find consistency in a crowded Western Conference, Green’s presence - both as a defensive anchor and emotional leader - remains critical. But as Friday night reminded us, that passion can be a double-edged sword.