Warriors Draymond Green has exchange with Memphis fans outside of visitors tunnel after taking an elbow to his face

May 3, 2022Updated: May 3, 2022 7:54 p.m.

Golden State Warriors big man Draymond Green, seen here in the first half of Game 2 of the Western Conference first round, had a message for fans in Memphis on his way to the locker room on Tuesday.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

In case you missed the WWE start to Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies, Dillon Brooks was ejected three minutes into the game after trying to take Gary Payton II’s head off on a layup, and Xavier Tillman elbowed Draymond Green hard enough in the face to draw blood.

Green, who was booed every time he touched the ball before exiting with 8:54 to go in the first quarter, made sure to play the part of the wrestling heel on his way out with what TNT play-by-play man Ian Eagle called a “message” for Memphis fans.

Turns out that “message” was a double bird salute, per video from TNT Overtime — a complimentary feed available on NBA.com with no announcers and a host of alternate camera angles, including the one that caught Draymond’s spicy goodbye.

Tuesday evening was not the first time Green has engaged with Memphis fans during the conference semis. The former NBA Defensive Player of the Year taunted the Grizzlies faithful on Sunday in Memphis after fans started chanting “throw him out” while officials reviewed a hard foul on Brandon Clarke. The foul ended up being escalated to a controversial Flagrant 2 upon review — after which Green begin egging on the crowd and dancing his way into the locker room.

And while it looked like he may miss a second straight game after being tossed shortly before halftime in Game 1, Green returned in the second quarter on Tuesday after receiving stitches for a right eye laceration, contributing 6 rebounds and 4 assists in 15 minutes of action (almost all of which came in the second quarter).

Grant Marek is SFGATE’s Editor in Chief. He’s spent the last 21 years in various editorial roles for the likes of Thrillist, Yahoo! Sports, the S.F. Examiner, The Desert Sun, The Santa Clarita Signal, and Sports Illustrated. He’s a graduate of UC Berkeley, and has lived in the Bay Area for 18 years. Email: grant.marek@sfgate.com