Draymond Green’s recent nearly monthlong suspension from the NBA almost drove him to retire.
The 33-year-old star forward for the Golden State Warriors revealed on his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show” that he was ready to leave the game behind before being convinced otherwise by an unlikely party.
“I had a conversation with Adam Silver, commissioner of our league,” Green said “I just told him, ‘Adam, it’s too much for me, like, this is too much. It’s all becoming too much for me, and I’m going to retire.’ ”
“Adam said, ‘Ahhhh, you’re making a very rash decision and I won’t let you do that,’ ” Green recounted.
“You know, we had a long, great conversation, very helpful to me,” continued Green. “Very thankful to play in a league with a commissioner like Adam, who’s more about helping you than hurting you, or helping you than punishing you. He’s more about the players.”
Green was suspended indefinitely after a Dec. 12 incident in which he flagrantly struck Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in the face leading to his third ejection of the season.
NBA officials soon thereafter released a statement announcing Green’s suspension and noting that “this outcome takes into account Green’s repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts” and the the four-time NBA champion would be “required to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play.”
Over the years, Green has earned a reputation for sometimes being excessively physical and reacting emotionally. He was most recently suspended during last season’s playoff for stomping the chest of Sacramento Kings forward Domatas Sabonis.
After sitting out a dozen games for this latest offense, the NBA reinstated Green this past weekend, and he is set to soon rejoin the Warriors.
