Advertisement

Draymond Green makes history, gets Chase Center's first-ever Warriors ejection

Draymond Green returned to the Golden State Warriors from a five-game injury absence on Monday night, and in the fourth quarter of their game against the Utah Jazz, he etched his name in team history books.

With 8:28 left in the game, Green christened Chase Center, the Warriors’ sparkling new arena, with its first-ever ejection.

During a play, Green was bowled over by Jazz guard Mike Conley, and Green got upset when the foul was called on him. As soon as the call was made he shot up from the floor (where he was in a heap with Conley) to argue, shouting “HOW?” at referee Sean Wright. Not surprisingly, Wright didn’t like that. He gave Green two technical fouls in a row and sent him packing to the locker room.

It wasn’t the most theatrical ejection, but Green felt strongly about it, which he explained after the game. From ESPN:

"I disagreed with that call. And I'm never going to be OK with another grown man telling me, 'Don't talk.' If you feel like you got the call wrong, or right, you don't tell me not to talk. I'm a grown man. I got my own kids. So that's what happened."

Green had been out for over a week with a torn ligament in his left index finger, and the Warriors are thrilled to have him back. They just need him to stay on the court and not have his games cut short by ejections, because he’s seen as a leader on the team. This is what rookie forward Eric Paschall had to say about him, via ESPN:

"...Draymond is just a great leader to have on the floor at all times, just because he's so smart in what he does and he's such a high-level competitor that it's always great to have that type of guy on the floor at all times."

Honestly, there’s no one better to give Chase Center its first Warriors ejection than Green, who’s considered a spiritual and physical leader of the team.

Draymond Green christened Chase Center with its first Warriors ejection on Monday night vs. the Utah Jazz. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
Draymond Green christened Chase Center with its first Warriors ejection on Monday night vs. the Utah Jazz. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)

More from Yahoo Sports: