Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green has been suspended from play “indefinitely,” the NBA announced Wednesday.
“This outcome takes into account Green’s repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts,” Joe Dumars, the NBA’s executive vice president in charge of basketball operations, said in a statement.
The move comes a day after Green struck Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in the face in the third quarter of the game.
Green was hit with a flagrant two foul and was ejected from the game — the 18th ejection of his career — which the Warriors lost to the Suns 119-116.
Nurkić fell to the ground after the hit but got back up and played for the remainder of the game.
“He was pulling my hip and I was swinging away to sell the call,” Green explained, according to NBC Sports. “I made contact with him. As you know, I’m not one to apologize for things I meant to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf, because I didn’t intend to hit him.”
The NBA said Green’s suspension is effective immediately and that he will have to meet “certain league and team conditions before he returns to play.”
“We need him, we need Draymond,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, per NBC Sports. “He knows that, we’ve talked to him. He’s got to find a way to keep his poise and be out there for his teammates.”
Nurkić said he doesn't know “what’s going on” with Green.
“Personally, I feel like that brother needs help. I’m glad he didn’t try to choke me. ... That had nothing to do with basketball. I’m just out there trying to play basketball,” Nurkić said.
Green is fresh off a five-game suspension that he served last month for putting Minnesota Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert into a headlock during a scuffle in November.
In April, Green was thrown out of a playoff game against the Sacramento Kings after he appeared to stomp on the chest of Domantas Sabonis.
In 2016, Green had to pay a $25,000 fine after he kicked Oklahoma City center Steven Adams in the groin during a game.
