Draymond Green’s indefinite suspension for hitting Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face nearly led to a career-altering decision for the Golden State Warriors forward.
As the 33-year-old explained during the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show, he was ready to retire from the NBA, but commissioner Adam Silver stepped in and changed his mind.
“I just told him, ‘Adam this is too much for me. … This is too much. It’s all becoming too much for me—and I’m going to retire,’” Green said. “And Adam said, ‘You’re making a very rash decision, and I won’t let you do that.’”
Green explained that the conversation was helpful and he’s “very thankful” to play in a league with a commissioner such as Silver.
“We had a long, great conversation—very helpful to me,” Green said. “Very thankful to play in a league with a commissioner like Adam who’s more about helping you than hurting you; helping you than punishing you. He’s more about the players.”
Green has been suspended since the incident occurred on Dec. 12, missing 14 games so far. It was his second suspension within a month, as he previously was disciplined for putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock on Nov. 14.
Green is eligible to return to action after being reinstated on Saturday, but the team is expected to allow him time to get back into game shape before inserting him back into the lineup.
The Warriors (17–19) currently sit as the No. 11 seed in the Western Conference. Including the game against the Suns, the Warriors are 7–7 since that point, and although they put together a five-game win streak in mid-December, they now have dropped five of their past seven games.
The Warriors play host to the New Orleans Pelicans (22–15) on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET in a game that will be televised nationally on ABC.
