Getty Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis complains against the Golden State Warriors.
After a season of struggling away from home, the Golden State Warriors earned their second road win in three games to eliminate the Sacramento Kings in Game 7 Sunday. When all was said and done, Kings center Domantas Sabonis wasn’t about shaking hands with the opposition, according to Draymond Green.
“Lost a lot of respect for Sabonis,” Green revealed on the April 30 edition of the “Draymond Green Show.” “You don’t shake guys hands after you lose, I don’t respect that. I once left the court, when we lost in Game 7 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. I went to my locker room and I sat down and I said, ‘This don’t feel right.’ And I walked about out onto the court and I showed everybody love. You lost, deal with it. Pay your respect. That was whack to me, that’s whack. But, I wouldn’t even necessarily say lost respect, like I don’t respect that and that’s whack.”
Let’s Not Forget Draymond Green’s Stomp in Warriors-Kings Game 2
Sabonis’ decision to not shake Green’s hand after the series shouldn’t come as a surprise.
The Warriors star was ejected from Game 2 and suspended from Game 3 of this series, for stomping on Sabonis’ chest.
After his ejection, Green attempted to justify his actions by saying that the Kings center grabbed his ankle and wouldn’t let go.
“I got my foot grabbed. Second time in two nights and referees just watching,” Green said via “The Athletic’s” Anthony Slater. “I got to land my foot somewhere. I’m not the most flexible person. You can only step so far with him pulling my leg away.”
Draymond Green: “My leg got grabbed. Second time in two nights.” Said he needed to put his foot somewhere but officials told him he “stomped too hard.”
Full soundbite
Sabonis was having none of it. He issued a response later on, claiming that there’s no place in the game for that sort of thing.
“I fell and I was trying to protect myself and then obviously the incident happened. I feel like there’s no room for that in our game today,” he claimed via NBC Sports Kings.
“There’s no room for that in our game today.”
Domas shares his perspective of the incident with Draymond
Draymond Green Pays Respect to De’Aaron Fox After Warriors Bounce Kings
While Green might not have been thrilled with Sabonis’ actions, it doesn’t mean that he didn’t show love to some of his teammates. The former Defensive Player of the Year was sure to shout out star guard De’Aaron Fox, during his postgame availability.
He explained that he and Fox are “cut from the same cloth.”
“I just paid my respect. I’ve been in a lot of playoff series against a lot of different guys,” Green said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “And if I’m honest, you leave most with less respect for a lot of guys. Whether it’s how they act in the moment — how they step up to the pressure. I’ve lost a lot of respect for guys over the years in the playoffs. 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.”
Draymond says De’Aaron Fox earned a lot of respect in this series 💯
Fox impressed in his playoff-series debut. In seven games against the Warriors, the 25-year-old averaged 27.4 points, 7.7 assists, and 5.4 rebounds, while shooting 42.4% from the field and 33.3% from deep.
He was undoubtedly the best player for the Kings throughout, and earned that respect from Green.