Draymond Green Says He Has No Regrets About Putting Rudy Gobert in a Chokehold

Warriors forward Draymond Green has officially served his five-game suspension following an altercation with Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, during which he put the Frenchman in a headlock during the first quarter of a game on Tuesday, Nov. 14.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday for the first time since his suspension was announced, Green said that he doesn’t regret the incident.

“I don’t live my life with regrets,” said Green after practice on Sunday, via ESPN. “I’ll come to a teammate’s defense any time that I’m in a position to come to a teammate’s defense. 

“What matters to me is how the people that I care about feel, first and foremost,” he continued. “How are the people that I care about affected?”

Draymond Green has served his five-game suspension for a NOv. 14 altercation with Rudy Gobert.

Photo Credit: Jed Jacobsohn/ AP

During the incident, Green was coming to the defense of Klay Thompson. Thompson and Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels had gotten into it after a physical play early into the first quarter, at which point multiple players, including Gobert, rushed over to the scene.

Gobert could then be seen grabbing onto Thompson, prompting Green to put the Timberwolves center into a chokehold and try to drag him away from the commotion. 

“Things can be interpreted how people want to interpret them,” said Green. 

“I know that for me, I am always going to be there for my teammates. That's who I am. That’s who I am as a teammate, that's who I am as a friend,” he added.

Green will be eligible to return on Tuesday for Golden State’s clash against the Kings. The Warriors went 2–3 during his five-game absence.