Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been suspended indefinitely by the NBA for punching Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face during Tuesday night’s game, the league announced Wednesday.
LOS ANGELES — The forward of the Golden State Warriors, Draymond Greenwas suspended indefinitely by the NBA for hitting the Phoenix Suns center in the face, Jusuf Nurkicduring Tuesday night’s game, the league announced Wednesday.
According to the NBA statement, “This result takes into account the repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts by Draymond Green“.
Draymond Green must meet “certain league and team conditions before returning to play,” the NBA said.
Draymond Green received a flagrant foul of 2 for hitting Jusuf Nurkic and was sent off for the third time this season.
Draymond Green was suspended indefinitely by the league. Photo: Getty
The sanction occurred approximately a month after the last suspension of Draymond Greenwhich was five games later for strangling the Utah Jazz center, Rudy Gobert.
The league has made clear that Green’s history as a repeat offender continues to play a role in the severity of the punishments it imposes.
After Green was ejected Tuesday in Phoenix, he told reporters he didn’t mean to hit Jusuf Nurkic in his head, but he was just trying to sell a decision. He agreed that the play justified the flagrant 2 penalty he was given at the time, but it didn’t seem like it was a big enough issue.
Draymond Green He echoed this same message to the league throughout Wednesday’s interview process. But it didn’t matter. The Warriors have made it very clear to Green that they need him on the court. That need is greater now than ever, as Golden State sits at 10-13, two of its most important players, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, continue to struggle and suffer from the exact same issues that plagued them last season.
“We need him. We need Draymond. He knows it,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We’ve talked to him. He’s got to find a way to keep his poise and be there for his teammates.”
Green acknowledged Kerr’s message, but in his response he still did not explain what he has to do to remain available.
“Like I said, if I intended to do that, then I would feel really bad about not being there,” Green said. “But my intentions were just to sell the foul.”
A source told ESPN last month that the Warriors have lost their leverage to discipline Green after not holding him accountable for hitting former teammate Jordan Poole in training camp last year.
When Green stomped on Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis during the first round of the playoffs, the Warriors defended him and supported him. They did the same after her incident with Gobert in November, although Kerr called his actions “inexcusable.”
In Phoenix, when Green swung and hit Nurkic in the jaw right in front of the Warriors’ bench, no one had a strong reaction. After the game, Kerr dismissed the question about the play, saying he hadn’t seen it yet.
But now that Green is out indefinitely, he will have missed most of the Warriors’ games this season due to suspension. Golden State is at an early crossroads in its season, and his absence and repeated behavior make it that much more difficult for them to successfully cross it.
2023-12-14 01:14:00
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