‘I was rattled:’ Draymond says Boston Celtics fans called him n-word during NBA Finals

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — It was no secret during the 2022 NBA Finals last summer that Celtics fans were not the biggest fans of Draymond Green. The Celtics’ home crowd could be heard chanting “f**k you Draymond” during Games 3 and 4 in Boston.

However, the Golden State Warriors forward claims the chants went a step further. Green said Thursday that Celtics fans called him the “n-word” during the six-game series in which the Warriors won.

“I was rattled,” Green said during an interview with Complex Sports. “‘I’ve never heard an entire gym — every time I touched the ball or I don’t have the ball — “f**k you Draymond.” I thought that was cool. That didn’t rattle me. But when I’m running down the court and it’s b***h, the n-word.

“Those are insults to my character. Those are insults to me as a man, so you’re in this place where you’re like I really wanna grab these people and wring they neck, but I’m gonna lose that battle. I’ve cost my team a championship before.”

Green added he feels the words aimed at him were dehumanizing. During the series, teammate Klay Thompson and head coach Steve Kerr spoke out against the “f**k you Draymond” chants they heard at the TD Garden in Boston.

This wasn’t the only time during that playoff run in which Green was on the receiving end of a racially-charged comment. After Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Grizzlies, a Memphis meteorologist tweeted Green had a “knuckle-dragging” mouth during the game.

KRON On is streaming news live now

Boston has had a history of its home crowds at sporting events yelling out racial slurs. In 2017, Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones was called the n-word by fans at Fenway Park. Even Celtics legend Bill Russell, an important Civil Rights leader who was leading Boston to NBA championships during the 1960s, wasn’t embraced by the city, The Associated Press reports.

Green’s full 18-minute interview with Complex Sports can be viewed HERE.