Draymond Green’s outspoken take on NBA tanking has found support from Stephen A. Smith, adding momentum to a growing league-wide debate.

Draymond Green can’t have any of it. Be it the much-hyped tanking in the NBA or a prank from his league mates.

The Golden State Warriors’ dominant star didn’t hold back after the Bay Area team’s 110-105 win over the Sacramento Kings. However, this time, Stephen A. Smith is fully on his side.

The Warriors forward called out what he viewed as blatant tanking during the game, pointing specifically to a late sequence involving Seth Curry. His broader frustration, however, was with the league’s handling of the issue.

“I get fined when I do [something] wrong,” he earlier said. “Just fine the hell out of people. We love taking money from players, keep fining teams. We’ve seen two fines, and we all know, everybody’s tanking. But we’ve only seen two fines. If it were players, they’d snatch that money in a heartbeat. Why isn’t it the same? … The punishment for players is to always take the money. Now it becomes to punish teams, and all of a sudden, nobody knows what to do.”

Green questioned why players are routinely facing fines while teams largely avoid accountability, despite what he described as widespread tanking across the league.

That stance quickly gained traction on ESPN. Watching the discussion up close, Smith strongly supported the veteran’s comments.

“[Draymond Green’s] 1,000% right,” Stephen A. said. “When it comes to tanking it’s about the teams, it’s not about the players. The players are doing what they’re told to do.”

According to the longtime analyst, decisions around rest, availability, and game management often originate from front offices, medical staff, and ownership, influenced by analytics.

In his view, that disconnect exposes a larger structural problem within the league.

Draymond Green Remains Unimpressed With NBA’s Play-In Tournament

Other than the NBA’s tanking problem, Draymond Green isn’t sold on the NBA’s play-in tournament still working as intended.

Speaking after the Warriors’ recent win, the veteran forward questioned the format’s effectiveness, arguing it no longer drives competitiveness late in the season.

While he acknowledged that the system had early success, he believes it now allows teams to remain locked into play-in spots without real pressure to improve.

“I think it worked initially,” he added. “And now, to have a team stuck in 10th, it ain’t working. We could have lost our last 15 games and been stuck in 10th. It ain’t working.”

Despite a poor finish to the regular season and missing out on a top-six seed, the team remained comfortably in 10th place. For Green, that stability reveals a flaw that teams can struggle and still maintain postseason hopes.

Fearne Cotton has broken her silence on split from husband Jesse Wood in her first TV interview since the breakup.

Joining Lorraine Kelly on Monday’s episode of the ITV show, the TV presenter, 43, also gave an health update after having two tumours removed from jaw.

Fearne announced her split from Jesse, the son of Rolling Stones bass guitarist Ronnie Wood, in December after 10 years of marriage.

She has since made swipes at Jesse and moved on with TV director Elliot Hegarty, with the pair having been seen kissing during a recent night out.

Fearne has had a difficult few months after undergoing surgery to remove two benign tumours from her jawline, just days before her split with Jesse emerged.

She told host Lorraine: ‘It’s all very amicable and kids are doing great. I am in a very good place.’place.’

Fearne Cotton has broken her silence on split from husband Jesse Wood in her first TV interview since the breakup

Fearne announced her split from Jesse, the son of Rolling Stones bass guitarist Ronnie Wood , in December after 10 years of marriage (both pictured in February 2024)

Discussing her recent surgery, she added: ‘I feel very grateful to have completely recovered.

‘I feel really good. I have a lot of people reaching out who have had the same thing.’

Davina McCall, 56, announced in November she’d been diagnosed with a colloid cyst, a rare type of benign brain tumour, and has supported Fearne.

She continued: ‘Everyone needs a Davina. She’s been amazing, weird that we had the same health thing going on at the same time. She’s so calming and we speak every day. She is just the best

It comes after Fearne has seemingly made another thinly-veiled dig at her ex-husband as she gushed that she is the happiest she’s ever been in a positive update.

Speaking to Scott Mills on his BBC Radio 2 breakfast show, Fearne gushed that she is ‘really happy’ and is ‘springing out of bed in the morning ready for life’.

Scott, who has known Fearne for 25 years, said he has never seen her ‘more positive or happier’, prompting Fearne to agree and reply: ‘Yeah I feel great!’

She told how her health scare has changed her outlook and said she has been seeking comfort from Davina.

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Joining Lorraine Kelly on Monday’s episode of the ITV show, the TV presenter, 43, also gave an health update after having two tumours removed from jaw