By Rafael Bandayrel
The bitter rivalry between Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson spilled over outside the court.
The Cavs big-man reportedly punched Green in the face during LeBron James’ party at a Los Angeles club, according to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.
“Thompson, according to sources, out of nowhere attacked Green. No argument. No squaring up. No taking it outside,” Thompson reported.
“It was a sucker punch,” said one source who attended the party. “But, to be honest, it wasn’t really a punch. It was more like a shove. It was a face mush, another source described it.”
However, new reports suggest that Green provoked Thompson by bring-up his wife, which angered the six-foot-nine center:
“What I have learned, talking to people that I trust in these circumstances, is that Draymond was teasing Tristan Thompson at multiple locations that night. It turns out there was a party at Highlight Room that LeBron was having. Tristan and Draymond were there.”
“Draymond may or may not have been saying things along the lines of Khloe Kardashian jokes, jokes about how now that LeBron has left Tristan that his career is on the outs. And then there was the second location, Bomani, Delilah in Hollywood.”
“And it seems to be another LeBron-type event. And this is where the face-mushing happens. And I would clarify that there were exchanges, I was told – exchanges verbal and physical. It wasn’t a one-sided thing,” NBA Insider Pablo Torre told ESPN.
Green broke his silence through his Instagram stories and claimed that reports are inaccurate. Thompson, meanwhile, remained quiet as the issue exploded.
Green is known for being an irritant on the court which makes him an effective defensive player. However, that same attitude could cause problems outside of a basketball setting.
No phones were allowed during the party which is why there isn’t a footage of the scuffle on the internet.
