Sparks are flying in what is shaping up to be an intense Golden State Warriors-Minnesota Timberwolves rivalry.
Following an altercation Tuesday night in which Draymond Green was ejected for putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold, Minnesota's big man called out the Golden State forward.
"Clown behavior," Gobert called Green's action, per The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski.
That didn't take long. #RaisedByWolves pic.twitter.com/V5Ebh7UYxr
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) November 15, 2023
The altercation is the latest in a long-standing feud between Green and Gobert.
After Gobert became emotional because he was left off an All-Star Game roster, Green responded with a tweet criticizing him for crying. Gobert responded by liking a tweet that mentioned Green's infamous call to Kevin Durant after the Warriors' 2016 Finals collapse.
Feb 2019: Rudy throws shade at Dray after liking a tweet pic.twitter.com/pQaWB4ILAD
— WarriorsMuse (@WarriorsMuse) November 15, 2023
During an appearance on TNT's "Inside the NBA," Green called out Gobert for crying, saying, "If I didn't make it [All-Star] this year, I wasn't gonna cry."
During that year's All-Star Game broadcast, Green continued his feud against Gobert, saying, "You keep mentioning me in the same sentence with him [Gobert]. We're not alike."
Following the altercation between Green and former Warriors guard Jordan Poole before the start of the season, Gobert posted a tweet that simply read, "Insecurity is always loud." In April of the same year, Green echoed Gobert's tweet following a sideline altercation between Gobert and Timberwolves teammate Kyle Anderson.
Draymond Green tweeted, ‘Insecurity is always loud,’ after Rudy Gobert was sent home for punching Kyle Anderson.
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 9, 2023
It’s the same exact tweet Rudy sent in October 2022 when Draymond punched Jordan Poole during a Warriors practice pic.twitter.com/Nq2vePJ9Yy
Following Wednesday's game, a 104-101 Golden State loss, Warriors coach Steve Kerr stood up for Green.
"As far as the Draymond part, Rudy had his hands on Klay's neck. That's why Draymond went after Rudy," he said, per ESPN's Kendra Andrews.
Even though he's flat-out wrong, one would expect Kerr to stand up for his player. Gobert echoed this sentiment when asked by Krawczynski and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Rudy Gobert, to @TheAthletic, after reading the comments from the Warriors’ Steve Kerr about Draymond Green’s chokehold.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) November 15, 2023
“He’s backing his guy, but I think he knows. Deep inside, he (doesn’t) want to say it but his guy is a clown.”
(W/ @JonKrawczynski)https://t.co/yag1JdeyIr
What Green did was completely unnecessary and borderline dangerous given the way he grabbed at Gobert's neck. For Green, this seemed more like an opportunity to quarrel with a player with whom he has openly had issues than "standing up for his teammate."
On Wednesday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the league is looking into the scuffle and a ruling is expected soon.
Will there be an Act 5? Stay tuned.
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