Update, Dec. 13, 2023 at 8:29 PM:
Draymond Green has been suspended indefinitely following his third ejection of the season for hitting Suns’ center Jusuf Nurkic in the face on Tuesday.
The NBA’s front office considered Green’s history of violence and sneak attacks against opponents and even his teammates.
According to the NBA’s press release on Wednesday, “This outcome takes into account Green’s repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts.”
Green will be required to seek therapy and meet “certain league and team conditions before he returns to play,” the NBA said.
Green received his third ejection of the season for swinging his arm and backhanding Nurkic in the face with about 8:23 remaining in the Warriors’ 119-116 loss at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ.
Draymond Green ejected pic.twitter.com/yUDpLwjCGE
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Nurkic fell to the floor and covered the left side of his face. The refs reviewed the replay and gave Green a flagrant 2 foul which triggered an automatic ejection from the game.
“What’s going on with him? I don’t know,” Nurkic told reporters in the postgame interview. “Personally, I feel like that brother needed help. I’m glad he didn’t try to choke me. At the same time, it had nothing to do with basketball. I’m just out there trying to play basketball… I hope whatever he has going on in his life gets better.”
Green was apologetic in his postgame interview, but he accused Nurkic of flopping.
“As you know, I’m not one to apologize for things I meant to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf, because I didn’t intent to hit him,” Green told reporters. “I sell calls with my arms. I don’t fall to sell a call. I’m not a flopper.”
In his postgame interview, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Green is too important to the team to be permanently banned from the NBA.
“We need him. We need Draymond. He knows that,” Kerr said. “We’ve talked to him. He’s got to find a way to keep his poise and be out there for his teammates.”
The league’s disciplinary action comes a month after Green was suspended 5 games for putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock.
Green, 33, is among the league leaders in technical fouls this season. The Warriors have a 10-14 record so far.
