Draymond Green has begun counseling after the Warriors star’s latest on-court transgression earned him an indefinite suspension that will last at least three weeks, according to The Athletic.
Green, 33, was suspended by the NBA on Wednesday, one day after he was ejected for spinning and clocking Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face, his third ejection of the season and the 20th of his 12-year career.
The suspension was indefinite because of “Green’s repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts,” the NBA said, adding the four-time NBA champion will have to “meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play.”
He has already missed three games, and if the suspension ends after three weeks, he’d likely miss a total of 10 games, with a Jan. 4 game against the Nuggets scheduled after the three-week period.
According to The Athletic, while the specifics of the counseling are unclear, Green “has been understanding and prepared to undergo the process required to return to the team in a full capacity.”
Green said hitting Nurkic was unintentional, while Nurkic said Green needs help and that he was glad Green didn’t “try to choke me.”
Kevin Durant, Nurkic’s current teammate and Green’s ex-teammate, addressed the matter on Wednesday.
“That was insane to see,” Durant said. “Glad Nurk is all right. Never seen that before in a basketball court in an NBA game. I hope Draymond gets the help he needs. It’s been incident after incident. I know Draymond and that’s not — he hasn’t been that way when I was around him and coming into the league. Hopefully, he gets the help he needs to get back on the court and put all this stuff behind him.”
Green was suspended five games earlier this season for putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold.
The four-time NBA All-Star re-signed with the Warriors over the summer on a four-year, $100 million contract.
He’s averaging 9.7 points, 5.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds in 15 games this season.