Draymond Green's Early Ejection Highlights Strange Case of Draymond

For NBA fans, Draymond Green getting ejected on a regular basis is nothing new. However, the timing of his ejection in Tuesday night's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves was particularly noteworthy - the score was still 0-0 just two minutes into the game.

Typically, Green's ejection comes at the height of the game, usually at a crucial point in the game. But this time, the Warriors and Timberwolves were still warming up when a verbal altercation broke out between Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels. Green stepped up to the plate, as he always does, and all three of them were ejected from the game less than two minutes later.

While Green, Thompson and McDaniels were ejected surprisingly early, they didn't exactly break the record for the fastest ejection in NBA history. According to Crazy Stats, it was the third-fastest ejection in league history.

Fastest Ejection in NBA History

December 2, 2012: Rasheed Wallace was ejected from the New York Knicks game against the Phoenix Suns just 85 seconds into the game. Wallace was initially called for a technical foul for shoving Luis Scola late in the first quarter. When Goran Dragic missed a technical free throw, Wallace yelled "the ball doesn't lie" at the referee, leading to a controversial second technical foul and ejection. Wallace's time on the court was 1 minute, 25 seconds, which remains the fastest time a player has ever been ejected from an NBA game.

January 4, 2020 Isaiah Thomas is ejected from the Washington Wizards game against the Portland Trail Blazers after shoving the referee after a jump ball with Carmelo Anthony. This occurred at the 10:32 mark of the first quarter, just 88 seconds into the game.

November 8, 2022: In the Warriors' game against the Timberwolves, Green and his partner were ejected with 103 seconds to go, becoming the third-fastest ejection after Wallace and Thomas, but the second-fastest to be ejected after the start of the game, behind Isaiah. Ejected.

Draymond chases Rasheed Wallace's record

After Tuesday's incident, Rudy Gobert described Green's choking of McDaniels as "clown behavior." Gobert even mocked Green, saying he didn't want to play without Stephen Curry.

Curry missed the game with a knee injury, and statistical analysis provides some support for Gobert's claims. According to CBS Sports, seven of Draymond Green's last 11 ejections have come in games where Curry didn't play.

Meanwhile, Green continues to chase Rasheed Wallace's NBA record for ejections. Wallace holds the record for career ejections with 29, but after Tuesday's elimination game, Draymond now has 19 since being drafted by the Warriors in 2012. It was the second ejection of the season for Green, who was also ejected in the Warriors' game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.

While Green's ejections have often been frustrating and costly for his team, it has become part of who he is as a player. His fiery personality and strong competitive spirit are both strengths and weaknesses, and his ejection proves both.