Home Basketball Stephen A. Smith takes a swipe at Warriors star Steph Curry’s leadership over Draymond Green’s suspension: ‘If this was a teammate of LeBron James, we’d be all over him’

Stephen A. Smith takes a swipe at Warriors star Steph Curry’s leadership over Draymond Green’s suspension: ‘If this was a teammate of LeBron James, we’d be all over him’

Basketball — 05/16/2024

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith questioned Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry’s leadership following forward Draymond Green’s second suspension this season.

Stephen A. Smith questioned Steph Curry's leadership after Draymond Green's suspension
The NBA suspended Green indefinitely on Wednesday for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic on Tuesday and for a’repeated history of unsportsmanlike behavior’. The suspension comes just a month after Green was suspended for five games for throwing Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert into a headlock.

The NBA suspended Green indefinitely after striking Suns center Jusuf Nurkic on Tuesday
On Thursday’s First Take, Smith acknowledged the double standard Curry is facing for failing to hold his friend accountable.

‘If this were LeBron James,’ Smith stated. ‘If this was a teammate of LeBron James, we’d be all over him.

‘Where are the leaders? I don’t think we should hold Steph Curry to lower standards.
Following the 1169-119 loss to Phoenix, Curry admitted how Green’s frequent ejections and suspensions harm the Warriors. However, Golden State’s franchise player hardly scratched the surface of Green’s unsportsmanlike acts.

Curry and Green have won four titles together at Golden State
‘We constantly reminded him “You can’t change who you are as a player, the competitive spirit that you have, the physicality that you play with,” ‘ Curry stated.

‘But you can’t force people or the league to look at you in a certain way, and having to go judge and jury on every single incident that occurs is difficult because we need him out there.’

Player availability is a major reason for the Warriors’ troubles this season. With Green sidelined, the Warriors will enter Thursday’s game against the Clippers with a 10-13 record.
Green’s production on the court has also decreased dramatically since Golden State’s championship years. This season, Green averages 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game.

Smith claimed that 'we'd be all over LeBron James,' if Green were his teammate
Prior to the events with Nurkic and Gobert, Green received a slap on the wrist for stomping on Kings center Domantas Sabonis’ chest during the 2023 NBA playoffs.

On the opposite end of the season, Green punched out former teammate Jordan Poole in preseason camp, which many fans saw as the first evidence of the Warriors’ disintegration.

Green’s 19th ejection moves him into second place in NBA history, trailing only Rasheed Wallace’s 25. He also paid more than $3 million in suspended fines.