The NBA has announced the indefinite suspension of Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in the face during Tuesday night’s game. Green received a flagrant foul 2 for the incident, leading to his ejection—marking the third time he has been ejected this season. The league’s decision to suspend Green indefinitely takes into consideration his repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts, as outlined in the NBA’s official release.
Operations chief Joe Dumars has imposed the suspension, which begins immediately. Notably, this is Green’s second suspension during the current season. The NBA specified that Green must fulfill certain league and team conditions before being eligible to return to play.
Draymond Green, along with Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Green’s agent, Rich Paul, is expected to meet on Thursday to initiate discussions about a counseling and assistance plan for Green to move forward, according to sources reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The league, in its decision not to specify a fixed number of games for the suspension, aims to afford Green the time necessary to address the challenges he is currently facing. the indefinite suspension
If Green’s suspension lasts fewer than 20 games, he will be docked $153,941 per game; if the suspension extends beyond 20 games, the penalty increases to $202,922 per game.
This season, Green’s three ejections equal his highest count in a single season. The first ejection occurred on November 11 against the Cleveland Cavaliers when he received two technical fouls. The second incident took place on November 14 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, resulting in a headlock on Rudy Gobert. Following this altercation, the NBA suspended Green for five games, citing his history as a repeat offender as a factor in determining the length of the suspension.
In the most recent episode, Green was ejected with 8:23 left in the third quarter during the game against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. The ejection came after he swung and hit Jusuf Nurkić in the head while defending him. Initially, Green had his back turned to Nurkić and repeatedly kept him at a distance. However, he eventually turned and struck Nurkić in the head with his hand. Following a video review, officials deemed the foul a flagrant 2.
Reflecting on the incident after the game, Green stated, “I am not one to apologize for things I mean to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf because I didn’t intend to hit him. I sell calls with my arms … so I was selling the call … and I swung, and unfortunately I hit him.”