“It was a misunderstanding”: Steve Kerr explains how a simple timeout turned into his sideline clash with Draymond Green

Steve Kerr has finally explained what happened during his heated sideline exchange with Draymond Green, and his version strips the moment down to something far less dramatic than it appeared on camera.

According to Kerr, the blowup was not about ego or authority. It was about poor timing, crossed signals, and two competitive people reacting in the moment.The confrontation quickly went viral, feeding the idea that Kerr and Green’s relationship might be nearing a breaking point. Kerr’s explanation tells a different story. He admitted that the situation got away from him and said it was a moment where he failed to do his job as a leader.

What Set It Off During the Magic Game

The incident happened in the third quarter of a win over the Orlando Magic. Draymond Green was already upset with the officiating and had just committed a turnover. Steve Kerr called a timeout because he felt the team was drifting and needed to reset.

Instead of heading straight to the huddle, Green stayed engaged with the referees. Teammates tried to pull him in, but he stayed focused on the officials. Kerr, aware that Green had been ejected the night before, was watching closely and wanted him out of that situation.

Kerr began yelling Green’s name to get his attention. Green took that the wrong way. “First of all, it was a misunderstanding,” Kerr said. “Draymond was talking to the refs, and I had called a timeout because I thought we lost our focus. I wasn’t mad at him.”

How It Turned Into a Shouting Match

Draymond Green believed Kerr was calling him out for the turnover. That assumption changed the tone instantly. “He thought I was yelling at him because of a turnover he had just made,” Kerr said.

“So he says something snarky, I say something back snarky, and next thing you know, we’re yelling at each other.”The exchange escalated in front of the bench. Green eventually walked off to the locker room and did not return to the game, though he came back out in warmups before the fourth quarter. Reports later suggested Kerr challenged Green directly, questioning whether he wanted to be coached at all.

Steve Kerr Admits He Handled the Draymond Green Situation Poorly

After initially keeping his comments short, Steve Kerr later took responsibility for how the situation unfolded.

“Monday night was not my finest hour,” he said. “That was a time I needed to be calm in the huddle." He added, “I should have been the calming force. So we went back and forth, and I regret it.”Kerr acknowledged that Green’s frustration had been building for days and said he failed to manage that moment properly.

Draymond Green Calls It a Learning Moment

Draymond Green also addressed the incident, saying he chose to walk away to keep things from getting worse. He said he didn’t want “one thing to become two” and felt stepping away protected the team and his relationship with Kerr.

He did not expect discipline and did not believe the moment would linger in the locker room.

Kerr Explains Why Nothing Has Changed Long-Term

Kerr made it clear the relationship remains intact. “We’re both irrationally competitive,” he said. “I can lose my mind, Draymond can lose his, and every once in a while, we lose it with each other.”He added that he would never want to play a big game without Green. Both men apologized to each other and to the team. For the Warriors, it was not a crisis but just a reminder of how thin the line is between urgency and conflict.