Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors (C) reacts to his technical foul against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second quarter of Game Two of the Western Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Target Center on May 08, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
(NEWYORK) — The Minnesota Timberwolves announced in a press release on Friday that the team has launched an investigation after some of their fans violated the NBA’s Fan Code of Conduct by allegedly making “racially charged” comments towards Warriors power forward Draymond Green during the team’s second game against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night at the Western Conference NBA semifinals.
In a statement posted to the Timberwolves PR account on X, the team said that one Minnesota fan was ejected during the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s game at the Target Center in Minneapolis, while another left voluntarily before security could identify him, but an investigation is ongoing to determine his identity.
“A fan was ejected by Target Center security for violating the NBA Fan Code of Conduct in an incident involving Draymond Green. A second individual who was identified by surrounding patrons as making racially charged comments towards Green left on his own before the arena security could confirm his identity. The team is continuing to investigate an additional action may be taken,” the statement said.
“The Timberwolves and Target Center are firmly committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful and safe environment. for all racist hateful or threatening behavior has no place at our games or in our community, and will not be tolerated under any circumstances,” the statement continued.
ABC News has reached out to the Timberwolves and the Warriors for additional comment.
The fan ejection took place after Green got his fifth technical foul during this year’s playoffs during an incident during the second quarter with Timberwolves center Naz Reid. After Green was fouled by Reid, Green appeared to wave his arms and smack Reid in the face with his elbow. During the playoffs, a player is automatically suspended for one game after a 7th technical foul.
According to ESPN, Green claimed during comments to reporters after the game on Thursday that there’s an “agenda” against him.
“Looked like the angry Black man,” Green said. “I’m not an angry Black man. I am a very successful, educated Black man with a great family, and I am great at basketball and great at what I do.”
“The agenda to try to keep making me look like an angry Black man is crazy. I’m sick of it. It’s ridiculous,” he added.
The incident took place during Minnesota’s Game 2 win in the second round of the NBA playoffs, where they defeated the Gold State Warriors 117-93 and leveled the Western Conference semifinal series at 1-1.
The win came during the absence of Warriors star Steph Curry, who suffered a strained left hamstring and is set to be reevaluated in a few days.
The Timberwolves and the Warriors will face off again on Saturday at 8:30 pm ET for Game 3 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, home of the Warriors.
(NEW YORK) — A football fan is suing the NFL for $100 million, claiming the league worked together to prevent quarterback Shedeur Sanders from being picked early in this year’s draft, according to court documents obtained by ABC News.
The lawsuit was filed last week in Atlanta by someone identified only as “John Doe,” who says he’s a big fan of Sanders from his time playing college football at Colorado.
Sanders was widely expected to be one of the first players chosen in the 2025 NFL draft. ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper ranked him as the second best quarterback available and predicted he would be picked in the top five.
Sanders’ completion percentage for the 2024 college football season was 74%. He completed 353 of 477 passes, which led college football and helped the Colorado Buffaloes to their first nine-win season since 2014.
However, Sanders wasn’t picked until the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns. The Browns passed on Sanders six different times and even chose another quarterback, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, in the third round. Kiper had ranked Gabriel as only the eighth-best quarterback in the draft.
Sanders’ unexpected drop became the biggest story of draft weekend. The drama led to record TV ratings for the draft’s final day, while the average of 7.5 million viewers per day made it the second-most watched draft ever, according to ESPN.
“The NFL’s actions and the spread of harmful statements about Sanders have caused me severe emotional distress and trauma,” the fan claims in the lawsuit.
According to court documents, Doe lives in Georgia and is a “dedicated fan of Colorado football” who attended the Colorado vs. TCU football game in 2023. That was the debut of Sanders after he transferred from Jackson State University. The Buffaloes won 45-42, with Sanders throwing for 510 yards and four touchdowns.
The lawsuit claims that reports about Sanders’ interviews with NFL teams “unfairly hurt his reputation and chances as a player.”
The lawsuit accuses the NFL of breaking three different laws. First, it claims NFL teams worked together to push Sanders to a later round, which would violate the Sherman Antitrust Act.
The suit also suggests racial discrimination might have played a role in Sanders’ draft position, which would violate the Civil Rights Act. Finally, it claims the NFL misled fans about how the draft process works and how players are evaluated, which would violate consumer protection laws.
The case was filed in federal court in Atlanta. The NFL has not yet commented on the lawsuit.