Once more, Luka Doncic brought unsafe court conditions to the NBA’s notice. But Draymond Green claims this is long overdue. Green’s striking message to the league is simple: player safety equals player availability. And because the league makes it a fineable offense for players to sit out games, he wants them to look at the bigger picture.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic suffered a frightening ankle injury on Cleveland’s “elevated” court this week. While he returned to the game, the scare sparked an emergency-level dialogue across the league. To Green, it’s not only the Cavaliers’ elevated court that should be fixed.

This week on The Draymond Green Show, the Warriors star pointed out the lack of uniform standards in NBA arenas. He pointed directly to the “s—– situation” at Rocket Arena, seemingly speaking of his own discomfort when he’s had to play there but the NBA didn’t acknowledge the issue until Doncic’s injury.

“With Luka, that should be a warning to the NBA,” Green asserted. “In 2026, the NBA still does not have certain standards in arenas that makes it best for people to have the opportunity to play.”

He not only refers to the Rocket Arena design. He revealed that multiple NBA arenas lack the basics to ensure player health, especially for visiting teams.

He mentions that the 25-year-old seats of Dallas’ American Airlines Center cause hip misalignment for taller players, increasing the risk of groin and hamstring pulls. According to him, it’s not unrealistic to have the same standards for facilities as for the player attendance policy.

“There’s no reason that every NBA arena shouldn’t have a hot tub and a cold tub in a locker room. Why not? You want people, you want players’ routines to be so drastic from home and road? But then we make all these complaints when somebody don’t play. Control what you can control.”

Draymond Green demanded that the league stop reactive measures and instead take a proactive stance on facility upgrades before careers are permanently altered. To ensure the safety of the world’s best athletes, Green issued a blunt ultimatum to the league office: “Fix it. Figure it out.”

This isn’t the Luka incident that’s spurred him to say it. Years of sporadic player complaints have finally led to a formal push for league-wide structural improvements.

Draymond Green and NBA World are upset by the delayed reaction to Cavs’ problem

When Luka Doncic commented on the special NBA Cup courts, the league acted immediately. The midseason tournament look was a lot different after that. So it’s not a secret that the league will do anything to protect its generational talent.

But Green is not the first player to point out that the Cavs’ court needed fixing before Doncic was hurt. It’s the only NBA venue featuring a hardwood floor raised ten inches above the underlying surface to accommodate ice for hockey. The design creates a literal drop-off at the sidelines, a ledge Doncic hopped off of while following through on a step-back three.

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Green also shared it’s uncomfortable for the players to sit on the benches there because they’re not high enough for the legs to be in line with the court. And this incident also revived discussion on Dru Smith’s season-ending ACL tear on the very same court in 2023. Many fans criticized the league for not acting sooner.

The “emergency” discussion comes after Cleveland has remained an outlier since the Rocket Arena opened in 1994. While other arenas that share space with the NHL, like the United Center, home to the Bulls and Blackhawks, have successfully implemented convertible floors, Cleveland’s 10-inch gap remains a “safety hazard,” according to Lakers coach JJ Redick.

The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) has reportedly resumed talks with the league following the Doncic incident, and fans are demanding justice for Dru Smith.

Green urged that these improvements are “one-time costs” that directly impact player availability. The pressure now mounts on the NBA to eliminate the literal and metaphorical gaps in player protection.