Green Says No Regrets, Cites Teammate Defense

In his first substantive media appearance after the NBA suspended him five games for grabbing Rudy Gobert around the neck on November 14, Draymond Green addressed the incident on November 26, 2023. Speaking with reporters, Green said, “I don't live my life with regrets... I'll come to a teammate's defense any time that I'm in a position to come to a teammate's defense” [3]. The comment served two purposes: rejecting remorse and clarifying motive. Rather than centering Gobert, Green emphasized Klay Thompson—who had been tangled with Jaden McDaniels when the skirmish began—as the reason he intervened [3][2]. ESPN’s account of the availability noted that Green maintained his stance despite the league’s language in its suspension announcement labeling the act “unsportsmanlike and dangerous” and “forcibly grabbing” around the neck, with the length influenced by his prior history [1][3]. The “no regrets” line complemented a pattern in Green’s public posture throughout the feud: assertive defenses of his actions framed through team loyalty, whether on social media, national TV, or post-incident interviews [7][6][3].

Green’s statement codified the loyalty narrative—he cast the headlock not as a personal attack on Gobert but as protection of a teammate. That framing directly challenged Gobert’s postgame characterization of “clown behavior” and his suggestion of a Curry-related motive, shifting the debate from intent to justification [2][3]. As a primary-source quote delivered after formal discipline, it also became a durable citation for how Green explained his actions, shaping future references to the incident and the broader feud [3][1].

Green served the five-game ban announced on November 16, while the discourse around the incident continued through December and into 2024 coverage recapping the feud’s timeline [1][5]. On December 15, 2023, after Green received a separate indefinite suspension for striking Jusuf Nurkić, Rudy Gobert publicly adopted an empathetic tone about Green’s well-being, even as he supported steps to protect player safety: “I have empathy for him... you see somebody that's not well inside and suffering” [8]. The juxtaposition—Green affirming no regrets about the Gobert incident, Gobert later expressing empathy regarding a different suspension—underscored the rivalry’s complexity beyond a single night [3][8].