Draymond Green says NBA chief Adam Silver discouraged retirement
FILE–Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors. Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP
NBA commissioner Adam Silver discouraged Draymond Green from calling his career quits amid his most recent suspension, the longtime Golden State Warriors forward said on his podcast.
ESPN, which reviewed “The Draymond Green Show” in advance of its posting on Monday, reported that Green had the discussion with Silver after his indefinite suspension for striking Jusuf Nurkic of the Phoenix Suns in the face on Dec. 12.
“I told him, ‘Adam this is too much for me. … This is too much,” Green said, per the report. “It’s all becoming too much for me — and I’m going to retire.’ And Adam said, ‘You’re making a very rash decision and I won’t let you do that.’
“We had a long, great conversation — very helpful to me. 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.”
The NBA reinstated Green on Saturday following his suspension that resulted in him missing 12 games.
He had maintained that the arm swing that caught Nurkic in the face and led to his ejection was an accident.
He has been suspended six times in his career.
In a statement, the league said Green “completed steps that demonstrated his commitment to conforming his conduct to standards expected of NBA players. He has engaged in meetings with a counselor and has met jointly on multiple occasions with representatives of the NBA, the Warriors, and the National Basketball Players Association, both of which will continue throughout the season.”
Green, 33, will go through conditioning with the team before restarting his season.
In 15 games this season, Green has averaged 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists. He is in his 12th season with Golden State and has won four NBA titles with the Warriors. He’s also a four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection. –Field Level Media
