Draymond Green has fired back at those who took issue with his recent remarks about Golden State Warriors teammate Kristaps Porziņģis, accusing them of taking his words out of context.

The four-time NBA champion faced backlash after saying the Warriors had moved forward without Porziņģis, who has yet to play this season because of a health issue. Green has since shared a longer portion of his interview to explain his position.

Draymond Green Addresses Backlash Over Kristaps Porziņģis Remarks

The 2017 NBA Defensive Player of the Year took to Threads following the reaction to his interview with The Athletic’s Sam Amick, in which he referred to “spoiled milk” while talking about the 31-year-old’s absence.

“For all dummies that only read clipped quotes… I’m here to help you. Reading is fundamental…reading quotes without context… well that’s just dumb,” Green wrote.

The Warriors veteran also shared an excerpt from the interview that provided more context for what he said about the team’s approach to Porziņģis’ absence.

“Since I’ve been here on this team, it’s never been about bickering, never about ‘Shame on this guy,’ ‘Shame on that guy,’” Green told Amick. “No one’s sitting around bashing this guy or even worried about him, for that matter. In our minds, we’ve moved forward with the players that we have here.”

Green added that Porziņģis could still help Golden State, but the Warriors could not build their plans around a return that had no timetable.

“I don’t think anyone in here is sitting around waiting on him to walk through that door … You can’t sit and worry about spoiled milk,” he said.

The remark drew criticism from fans who viewed it as dismissive of a teammate dealing with health problems. Green maintained that the shorter excerpts left out the context surrounding his comments.

That context also included the Warriors’ next-man-up approach. The nine-time All-Defensive Team member pointed to opportunities for Charles Bassey and undrafted rookie Graham Ike to earn minutes with Porziņģis unavailable.

The Latvian big man joined Golden State in a February trade with the Atlanta Hawks and re-signed during the offseason on a two-year, $40 million contract. He said on Friday that he was stepping away from basketball to prioritize his health.

“At this point, I’ve made the decision to prioritize my health and step away from the game I love,” Porziņģis wrote.

The 2024 NBA champion has a history of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, although neither he nor the Warriors has publicly identified the condition responsible for his current absence. He has not said he is retiring or provided a timetable for a return.

Golden State has continued without him, relying on Green at center while Al Horford, Bassey and Ike provide additional frontcourt depth.