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Draymond Green might not be on the court this NBA postseason, but he's still making headlines for his trademark intensity.
The Golden State Warriors veteran, currently serving as a TNT analyst for the Eastern Conference Playoffs, was heckled by a New York Knicks fan at Madison Square Garden-and wasted no time delivering a memorable clapback.
As Green provided coverage of the Knicks vs. Pacers series, one fan couldn't resist reminding him of the Warriors' early exit from the playoffs. "Cancun! Cancun! How was Cancun?" the fan shouted, referencing the popular taunt implying an early offseason vacation for eliminated players.
Green, standing near the upper deck of MSG, turned calmly and hit back with a sharp response: "Can you afford to go?" The comeback quickly went viral, but the situation escalated when another man, much taller than the fan, stepped in to defend Green, going face-to-face with the heckler in a tense moment captured on video.
Green's off-court reputation mirrors his on-court fire
Green has built a career on being outspoken and combative-traits that have earned him both accolades and criticism. Over the years, the four-time NBA champion has racked up nearly $1 million in fines and lost over $3 million in pay due to suspensions. He's been at the center of controversies involving opponents, referees, and even his own teammates.
Most recently, he was fined $50,000 for implying referees were manipulating game outcomes in the Timberwolves-Thunder series. During the same postseason, he lashed out at reporters questioning his fifth technical foul, sparking another round of media scrutiny.
"I'm not an angry black man, I'm a very successful, educated black man with a great family and I'm great at basketball - I'm great at what I do," Green told The Athletic. "The agenda to continue to keep making me look like an angry black man is crazy. I'm sick of it. It's ridiculous." After making the statement, Green stormed out of the locker room.
His outburst drew backlash from ESPN's Tim MacMahon on "The Hoop Collective" podcast. "Oh, God. You know what? Go away, Draymond," MacMahon said. "Shut up, dude. Don't play the victim here... Stop doing flagrant stuff. We're sick of you doing stupid, flagrant crap on a regular basis."
MacMahon referenced several past incidents, including Green's 2022 punch to then-teammate Jordan Poole and his chokehold on Rudy Gobert earlier this season, along with a strike to Jusuf Nurkic.
While Draymond Green's season ended on the bench, his presence off the court remains as polarizing and headline-grabbing as ever. Whether behind the analyst's desk or face-to-face with a trash-talking fan, the veteran forward continues to prove that he's never far from the spotlight-even in the postseason.