Draymond Green deserves your ire and your grace at the same time

This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Here’s Mike Sykes.

You never know what you're going to get when you're talking to Draymond Green. He's never been one to shy away from speaking to the media, even after losses. And he's certainly never been afraid to speak his mind, even when it might ruffle a few feathers out there.

So when Green seemed a little frazzled when speaking after the Warriors' loss to the Timberwolves on Friday, my eyebrows perked up a bit.

The Warriors forward didn't have too much to say after the loss. But, while he didn't say very much, what he had to say was certainly notable.

"I'm not an angry Black man. I'm a very successful, educated Black man with a great family. And I'm great at basketball — I'm great at what I do. The agenda to continue to keep making me look like an angry Black man is crazy. I'm sick of it. It's ridiculous," Green said.

That was the only statement he gave for the night.

It's hard to know exactly what Green is excoriating here. Initially, it seems to be a reaction to Green getting yet another technical foul after hitting Naz Reid in the face following a foul. Green's problem with technical and flagrant fouls has been well-documented throughout his career, but he's struggled again, specifically in this postseason, with five technical fouls through nine games so far.

It's easy to hear Draymond Green complain about being labeled an "angry Black man" and roll your eyes. I certainly did. Not because Green isn't someone who should be taken seriously when it comes to this, but because the trope itself is such a serious thing.

If we're just talking about basketball and technical fouls here? Green's short rant makes no sense. His reputation precedes him. As Charles Barkley says here, "He always makes it look interesting." This has been something that has followed Green throughout his entire career. And, furthermore, it's something he's leaned into. He's spoken for years about how he loves playing the villain role for his team. Technical fouls and a reputation come with the territory. Green knows that.

That's why I don't think that's all that's at play here.

Green got into a spat with a fan while on the sidelines. The fan hurled a racial slur at Green and was removed from the game.

And, now, we have clarity. Green being called a slur in the middle of a game where emotions are already heightened is certainly something that might trigger him a bit. But you can't blame him. This is life for Black folks in America.

Black people in America have been labeled as "angry" for centuries. That trope has been used as the justification for some of the worst atrocities committed against Black people in this country and you don't have to look very far back into our nation's history to find it. A few examples: It was used to justify the way the Los Angeles Police Department beat Rodney King in the 1990s when they described him as a "Tasmanian devil" with "Hulk-like strength." It was used when the term "superpredator" was coined 30 years ago. Derek Chauvin's attorneys tried to weaponize the trope in the trial for the murder of George Floyd.

Use of this trope doesn't always manifest itself in such egregiously violent and destructive ways — it can happen right under your nose. It's present in the workplace. Even in schools. And, yes, it's appeared in sports, too. Remember Serena Williams at the US Open? It's not necessarily out of bounds for Green to bring it up here.

Is that what's going on with these technical fouls? I doubt it. I don't think there's some NBA agenda out there making an effort to label Draymond as anything. Draymond has done that work himself throughout his career with every hard foul he's dished out over the years.

You might not like him. You may actually hate him for that. And, if you do, that's OK! You can. It's just sports.

But that doesn't mean he deserves to be labeled as less than human. Good on the Wolves for throwing that fan out. Hopefully, they're never allowed to return.

The Pope is a real one

I always respect a sports fan a little bit more when their favorite team sucks. Not that people who root for good teams aren't real sports fans, but there's something about cheering for something you know will never work out that just makes me feel like you've got some real skin in the game.

It turns out Pope Leo XIV has some skin in the game, folks.

Initially we got reporting that he's a Cubs fan. But, as it turns out, his brother says that he's actually a White Sox fan and has never actually rooted for the Cubs in his life. We even got pictures of him at the 2005 World Series cheering on the Sox.

He's a real one, man. Shoutout to the pope.

Trouble in Paradise

Every little detail we get in the Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson story makes things even stranger than they already are.

New reports have surfaced that Hudson has been banned from UNC's football facility. Our Charles Curtis has details:

"The Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson situation that escalated when she interrupted his CBS interview has now reached a tipping point.

Per Pablo Torre on his podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, North Carolina's athletic department has now banned Belichick's girlfriend and business partner (and ... muse?) from the Tar Heels' football facility."

Here's the video from Pablo Torre Finds Out:

UNC is now saying she's welcome at the facilities.

This is such a strange story. That's about all I have to say on that. Not sure where this one is going to go, but I certainly don't like where it's at right now.

Photo Friday: Mikal Bridges for the win

Need I say more? Mikal Bridges with the full extension here to seal the deal for the Knicks. What a play.

Quick hits: Paul Pierce's walk of shame ... Caleb Williams x Pope Leo ... and more

— Paul Pierce really did walk to work after the Celtics lost. This is hilarious.

— Caleb Williams had a perfect two word response to Pope Leo being from Chicago.

— There seems to be a lot of complaining about NBA officials these days. Aaron Gordon joins in on it here.

— Stephen Curry's injury has changed everything for the sportsbooks out there. Half a million in refunds. Sheesh.

— Spike Lee you are ridiculous. We love you for it.

— The Rafael Devers and Red Sox beef, explained.

That's a wrap, folks. Thanks for reading. Peace.

-Sykes ✌️