Draymond Green Kicks Steven Adams Below the Belt (2016)

Draymond Green's kick to Steven Adams' groin in 2016 epitomizes the cost of unsportsmanlike behavior. During Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, Green kicked Adams in the groin, repeating an action he had performed in the previous game. The NBA upgraded the flagrant foul to a category 2, resulting in a one-game suspension that cost him $204,000. This suspension may have shifted the series: Golden State lost Game 5 and eventually the championship. Compared to #5's ear bite, Green's kick was less physically brutal but more strategically damaging, as it occurred in a crucial playoff moment. The incident was 80% more likely to earn a suspension than the average flagrant foul, according to league data. Green's history of similar kicks undercut his 'natural shooting motion' defense, making this a textbook example of repeat offender behavior.