Draymond Green Sends Clear Message to Luka Doncic After Knicks Star & Co’s Ugly Behavior

The Slovenia–France clash at EuroBasket 2025 was already tense, but it ended with a moment that has since spiraled into one of the tournament’s most talked-about controversies. Luka Doncic, who once again carried Slovenia on his back, thought the game was over when he walked toward Sylvain Francisco for a handshake. Instead, the French guard went straight to the rim for an uncontested layup, sparking heated debate on sportsmanship and respect in international basketball.

For Slovenia, the loss was bitter enough. They fell to 0–2 in Group D, having already dropped their opener to Poland. But what happened in those final seconds ensured that the conversation after the game was less about box scores and more about unwritten rules. And then, out of nowhere, Draymond Green decided to pour gasoline on the fire.

The Golden State Warriors star and Team USA veteran wasted no time reacting to the incident. On Threads, Draymond Green wrote: “This is why it was important to beat France in Paris! Go USA.”

The post wasn’t subtle. Green’s jab directly linked Francisco’s final layup—and by extension, France’s behavior—to a long history of hostility between Team USA and France on the international stage. But the inclusion of Luka Doncic in this narrative raised even more eyebrows. After all, Doncic was the one trying to extend a gesture of sportsmanship, only to be undercut in the process.

For Green, though, this was bigger than Doncic. It was about what France represents on the world stage and why, in his words, beating them on their home soil at the Paris 2024 Olympics meant so much for Team USA.

Still, Luka Doncic was inevitably dragged into the story. His decision to shake hands rather than fight to the final buzzer could be read as an act of respect—a sign that even in defeat, he carries himself like a leader. Francisco’s move flipped that narrative on its head. Instead of mutual sportsmanship, Doncic ended up looking like the victim of a slight, whether intentional or not.

And the frustration only grows when you consider how Doncic has been playing. Against France, he poured in 34 points while adding 9 assists, 4 rebounds, and 5 steals—stat lines eerily similar to his monster 34-point, 9-assist, 5-steal outing against Poland. Yet Slovenia’s thin roster, missing players like Vlatko Cancar and Josh Nebo, couldn’t keep up with a deeper French side led by Guerschon Yabusele, Bilal Coulibaly, and No. 1 NBA Draft pick Zaccharie Risacher.

For Doncic, the Francisco incident was just the latest twist in a EuroBasket that has tested both his patience and his pride.

The Frustrations Piling Up

EuroBasket 2025 has been anything but smooth for Luka Doncic. Against Poland, he was hit with a technical foul for arguing a no-call on a drive, a sequence broadcasters described as a momentum-shifting moment. Against France, Slovenia once again faltered, despite Doncic’s brilliance.

Doncic’s willingness to shake hands suggested he was ready to accept defeat gracefully. But being undercut by Francisco’s layup—paired with Draymond Green’s mocking commentary—adds another layer to the superstar’s frustrations. Slovenia is now 0–2 in Group D, with must-win games against Belgium, Iceland, and Israel looming.

For Lakers fans, there’s another wrinkle here. Luka Doncic isn’t just Slovenia’s captain—he’s the new face of the Los Angeles Lakers. After being traded from Dallas, he’s expected to carry the purple and gold alongside LeBron James in the post-Anthony Davis era. History says Doncic doesn’t take slights lightly. Just ask Devin Booker, who trash-talked Doncic in 2022 only to be torched by him in the playoffs. If anything, Green’s post could end up fueling Doncic’s competitive fire heading into the 2025–26 NBA season.

To understand Green’s comments, you have to consider the USA–France rivalry. France knocked Team USA out of the 2019 FIBA World Cup, a loss Green has since described as a “wake-up call.” The Americans responded by beating France in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics gold medal game, then repeating the feat in Paris in 2024 with Stephen Curry’s late-game heroics.

Green was part of that story. His jab at France wasn’t just about Francisco’s layup—it was about a decade of back-and-forth battles on the biggest stages. To him, Francisco’s behavior was proof that France’s “attitude problem” hasn’t gone away.

For Luka Doncic, though, this isn’t about USA vs. France—it’s about survival at EuroBasket. Slovenia’s thin roster is forcing him to do everything: score, facilitate, defend, and lead. His 31-pound weight loss over the summer has given him the stamina to play heavy minutes, but the risk of burnout is real.

Against France, Doncic’s 34-point effort wasn’t enough. Slovenia’s supporting cast couldn’t match the balance of a French team that spread the scoring across multiple players. With an 0–2 record, Slovenia is now fighting for its EuroBasket life.

The Francisco layup may seem like a minor footnote in a long tournament, but it has already taken on a life of its own. For Luka Doncic, it was a moment where sportsmanship clashed with reality. For Draymond Green, it was an excuse to reignite old rivalries and wave the Team USA flag. And for Slovenia, it was just another painful reminder of how thin the margin for error really is.

The bigger question, though, is how Doncic responds. Will he let Green’s words and France’s behavior weigh him down, or will he use them as fuel to spark a turnaround—both for Slovenia now and for the Lakers later?

What do you think: did Francisco’s layup cross the line, or was it simply part of the competitive edge that makes basketball so intense?