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[Saba Sports News] Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green made a bold claim about Karl-Anthony Towns after the New York Knicks center missed a recent game against the Warriors.
On the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show podcast, Green speculated that Towns may have skipped the Knicks’ March 4 matchup against Golden State to avoid facing Jimmy Butler.
The two were former teammates on the Minnesota Timberwolves and were involved in an infamous 2018 practice where Butler publicly called out several Timberwolves players, including Towns.
“Some would say (Towns) didn’t play because Jimmy was in the building. I don’t know,” Green said. “They said KAT ain’t playing because Jimmy came into town, and him and Jimmy had the infamous practice in Minnesota. I don’t know. I don’t know what was hurt. I didn’t look that deep into it to figure out what his injury was.”
Green, however, didn’t check the facts—because there was no injury. Towns was officially away from the team for personal reasons. His longtime girlfriend, Jordyn Woods, revealed that she attended a funeral for one of her closest friends on Wednesday, and many assumed Towns’ absence was related to that. Towns had already rejoined the Knicks in time for Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
It’s unclear whether Green was joking, trying to stir controversy, or just repeating something he heard. Regardless, spreading such a rumor, given the personal nature of Towns’ absence, didn’t sit well with many fans and media members, especially those covering the Knicks.
Butler and Towns have faced off six times since their practice incident, including a game earlier this season when Towns dropped 44 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a win over Butler’s Miami Heat. If he were trying to avoid Butler, it would be an odd time to start after six years of playing against him.
Green is no stranger to controversial takes, but this time, he may have crossed the line. A little fact-checking might serve him well before making such claims in the future.
