Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has begun counseling and is expected to be sidelined by suspension for at least the next three weeks, league sources said.
The NBA announced an indefinite suspension for Green on Wednesday for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face during a game the night before. NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations Joe Dumars said in a statement that Green’s “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts” was a factor in the decision.
The 33-year-old Green was expected to receive counseling and work out with the Warriors and the NBA during his suspension, league sources said. Green and people around the organization said the four-time NBA champion understands and is ready to go through the process required to return to the team at full capacity. Those sources would not reveal the specifics of Green’s counseling out of respect for his privacy.
The three-week time limit would mean his suspension would extend to approximately 12 games.
Green’s latest incident – the 20th ejection of his career – occurred in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game between the Warriors and Suns. Green, battling for post positioning against Nurkic near the corner, spun around and nailed Nurkic in the face with his wild right hand. Nurkic fell and remained down for about a minute.
Officials stopped the game for a review, which did not take long. Green was ejected and did not even dispute it. He ran straight towards the locker room.
After the game, Green apologized to Nurkic. He said it was unintentional and he was trying to commit a foul by stretching his arms.
“As you know, I’m not one to apologize for things I wanted to do, but I apologize to Jusuf. Because I didn’t mean to kill him,” Green said. “I sell calls with my arms.”
Green’s suspension is the sixth of his NBA career and the second of this season. The league suspended Green for five games for his involvement in an altercation against the Minnesota Timberwolves in November, when Green put Rudy Gobert in a headlock. He served two separate one-game suspensions last season – once for accumulating 16 technical fouls, and the other for stepping on Sacramento Kings power forward Domantas Sabonis in the playoffs.
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A look at Draymond Green’s suspension
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he felt an indefinite suspension for Green was appropriate to help the 12th-year veteran make a transition.
“For me, it’s more than basketball. It’s about helping Drummond,” Kerr said. “I think this is an opportunity for Drummond to step away and make a change in his outlook and his life and that’s not an easy thing to do. It’s not something you say, ‘Okay, five games and then he’ll be fine.’
The Warriors (12-14) are 2-1 after Green’s dismissal. They went 2-3 during his first five-game suspension.
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(Photo: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
