NBA suspends Warriors’ Draymond Green indefinitely،
LOS ANGELES — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been suspended indefinitely by the NBA for punching Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in the face during Tuesday night's game, the league announced Wednesday.
Green received a flagrant 2 foul for hitting Nurkić and was subsequently ejected for the third time this season. According to the NBA's statement, the indefinite suspension “takes into account Green's repeated history of unsportsmanlike conduct.”
He will have to meet “certain league and team conditions” before returning to play, the NBA said.
Green's three ejections are tied for the most in a season. His first came after committing two technical fouls against the Cleveland Cavaliers on November 11. His second came against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 14 when he put Rudy Gobert in a headlock. The NBA suspended Green for five games after this latest incident, with the league citing Green's history as a repeat offender for the duration of the suspension.
Green was ejected with 8:23 remaining in the third quarter Tuesday after swinging and hitting Nurkić in the head while defending him. At first, with Green's back to Nurkić, he pushed him away several times. Eventually, Green turned around and hit Nurkić in the head with his hand. Officials ruled the foul 2 flagrant after a video review.
“I'm not one to apologize for things I want to do, but I apologize to Jusuf because I didn't mean to hit him,” Green said after the match. “I sell calls with my arms…so I was selling the call…and I swung and unfortunately I hit it.”
The Warriors made it very clear to Green that they needed him on the court. That need is greater than ever, as Golden State goes 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 that,” coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday. “We talked to him. He needs to find a way to keep his cool and be there for his teammates.”
Green acknowledged receipt of Kerr's message.
“Like I said, if I was going to do this, I would feel terrible not to be there,” Green said. “But my intentions were simply to sell this fault.”
A source told ESPN last month that the Warriors lost leverage in disciplining Green after failing to hold him accountable for hitting former teammate Jordan Poole during training camp last year.
When Green stomped Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis in the first round of the playoffs, the Warriors defended him and stood by him. They did the same after his incident with Gobert in November, even though Kerr said his actions were “inexcusable.”
In Phoenix, as Green swung and hit Nurkić in the jaw right in front of the Warriors bench, no one had a strong reaction. After the match, Kerr dismissed the question regarding the play, saying he had not seen it yet.
But now that Green is out indefinitely, he will have missed the majority 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 even more difficult for them to get through it successfully.
