The NBA has upgraded a Draymond Green foul on Zach Edey to Flagrant 1 after reviewing the play.
The foul in question occurred midway through the third quarter Friday’s 123-118 win by the Golden State Warriors over the Memphis Grizzlies. As Green drove to the basket, he lost the ball and fell into the lane near Edey’s feet. Edey picked up the ball and crossed the court. But as the rookie tried to run, Green jammed his left elbow on Edey’s right foot, causing him to fall to the ground.
During the match, the play was ruled a transition-take-foul, meaning Green intentionally fouled Edey to prevent him from participating in a fast break opportunity. But that was changed to a Flagrant 1 after the league watched the game on Saturday.
“It was definitely not a basketball game,” Edey said, via ESPN. The rookie finished the game with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Draymond Green (GSW) foul against Zach Edey (MEM) at 7:06 of the 3rd quarter on 11/15/24 has been upgraded to a Flagrant 1 after league review. https://t.co/bX7YS8MaV4
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) November 16, 2024
The foul was not reviewed during the game, which Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins criticized afterward.
“Very disappointing, there was that one play, we were about to start the break and he played really hard to try to get out, and Draymond grabs his leg and pulls him down and it’s not judged,” Jenkins said via ESPN.
“So I know there is a code in this competition,” he added, “and I don’t understand why it hasn’t been reviewed. Very disappointing.”
If the foul had been called Flagrant 1 during the game, Memphis would have been awarded two free throws and possession of the ball. Considering the Grizzlies lost by five points, that’s not an insignificant decision.
Green was ultimately ejected from the match after picking up his second technical foul with 30 seconds remaining in regulation time. He finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
The flagrant foul was Green’s first of the season. But that wouldn’t be remarkable if the Warriors forward didn’t have a history of problematic mistakes. Last season, Green was suspended indefinitely for swinging and punching Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face. The NBA cited Green’s “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts” in imposing the penalty.
An NBA player receives one penalty for a flagrant 1 foul and two for a flagrant 2 foul. After five penalty points, he receives a one-match suspension.
