Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has begun counseling and is expected to remain 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 Nurkić in the face during a game the night before. Joe Dumars, NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations, said in a statement that Green’s “repeated history of unsportsmanlike conduct” was a factor in the decision.
League sources said Green, 33, is expected to receive counseling and cooperate with the Warriors and the NBA while suspended. People around Green and the organization say the four-time NBA champion understands and is willing to undergo the process necessary to return to the team at full capacity. Those sources would not disclose details of Green’s counseling out of respect for his privacy.
A three-week timeframe would mean his suspension spans about 12 games.
Green’s latest incident — his 20th career ejection — came in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game between the Warriors and Suns. Green appeared to be wrestling for post positioning against Nurkić near the corner, swung and nailed Nurkić in the face with a wild right arm. Nurkić fell and stayed down for about a minute.
The officials stopped the game for a review, which did not take long. Green was ejected and it wasn’t even contested. He went straight to the locker room.
Following the game, Green apologized to Nurkić. He said it was unintentional and he was trying to sell a foul by flashing his arms.
“As you know, I’m not supposed to apologize for things I’ve done on purpose, but I’m apologizing to Jusuf. I didn’t mean to hit him,” Green said. “I sell calls with my arms .”
Green’s suspension is the sixth of his NBA career and his second this season. The league also suspended Green for five games in November for his involvement in a brawl against the Minnesota Timberwolves, when Green put Rudy Gobert in a headlock. He served two separate one-game suspensions last season — once for accumulating 16 technical fouls, and a second in the playoffs for tripping Sacramento Kings power forward Domantas Sabonis.
DEEP
A look at Draymond Green’s suspensions
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he thought an indefinite suspension for Green made sense to help the 12-year veteran make the transition.
“For me, it’s more than basketball. It’s about helping Draymond,” Kerr said. “I think it’s an opportunity for Draymond to step away and to make a change in his approach and his life and that’s not an easy thing to do. It’s not something you say, ‘OK, five games and then he’ll be fine.’”
The Warriors (12-14) are 2-1 since Green was ejected. They went 2-3 during his previous five-game suspension.
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