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Draymond Green Addresses Accusation Against Knicks Star

Draymond Green baselessly accused a grieving New York Knicks star of skipping a recent showdown with the Golden State Warriors.

Geoff Magliocchetti

Mar 10, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball as Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) defends in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Mar 10, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball as Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) defends in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
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When it comes to New York Knicks circles, it's safe to say that not everybody loves Draymond.

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has long been a critic of the modern Knicks but he took things to a whole new level on the latest edition of his eponymous web series hosted alongside former New Yorker Baron Davis. In the episode released on Wednesday, Green accused Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns of intentionally skipping the Dubs' recent visit to avoid a matchup with former teammate Jimmy Butler.

Draymond Green
Mar 4, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) fight for a loose ball during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The injury report for Tuesday's game between New York and Golden State listed Towns as out due to personal reasons. It has since been revealed that Towns was out for bereavement purposes after longtime girlfriend Jordyn Woods lost a close friend in a cancer battle.

Green addressed the controversy on Thursday in New York, where the Warriors were still stationed for a game against the Brooklyn Nets. While Green offered condolences to Towns and his family, he did not fully rescind his prior accusation.

"That's unfortunate, I'm sorry to hear that. That [stinks]," Green said after Golden State's 121-119 win over Brooklyn on Thursday, per ESPN News Services. "But my comments that I made were, you know, 'People, what I heard was this.' That's what I heard. So, I do send my well wishes to him and his family."

"It's inevitable, we all experience death in one way or another, and we'll all experience it in the same way one day. So it's unfortunate, you never wish that on anybody, but 'The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis' must go on."

During Tuesday's game, a 114-102 Golden State victory, Woods posted a brief yet emotional post on X that read "F*** Cancer," which some viewed as a hint of the reasons for Towns' absence. Woods confirmed her friend's tragic passing when offering thanks for well wishes from fans in another X post on Thursday, which saw Towns return to the New York lineup against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Karl-Anthony Towns
Mar 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith (17) and guard Luka Doncic (77) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

That, as well as Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau's pregame comments about Towns' status, should have hinted that his departure was for reasons beyond basketball. Green was roundly ripped by social media users, especially after NBA analyst Chris Broussard used the accusation to label Towns the player most "under duress" during Fox Sports 1 programming on Thursday.

"Some would say he didn’t play because Jimmy was in the building," Green's said in his original comments. "I saw KAT’s pops at the game yesterday. I got incredible love for the OG, his pops is an incredible man. But yeah, they say KAT didn’t play because Jimmy came into town ... I don’t know what was hurt. I didn’t look that deep into it to figure out what his injury was or nothing like that.”

Green will have a chance to apologize to Towns personally next weekend, as the Knicks will wrap up their ongoing Western swing with a San Francisco-based rematch on March 15.

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Geoff Magliocchetti is a veteran sportswriter who contributes to a variety of sites on the "On SI" network. In addition to the Yankees/Mets, Geoff also covers the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, and New York Giants and has previously written about the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Staten Island Yankees, and NASCAR.

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