Suspended Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has started counseling, according to The Athletic.
The veteran is expected to stay on the sideline for at least three weeks after he was ejected for spinning and hitting Suns center Josef Nukic in the face during a game on Dec. 12, his third ejection of the 2023-2024 NBA season and the 20th of his 12-year career.
Following the incident, the NBA suspended Green indefinitely due to his “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts” and that the four-time NBA champion would be expected to “meet certain league and team conditions before he returned to play.”
The terms of his counseling haven’t been released. Green reportedly “has been understanding and prepared to undergo the process required to return to the team in a full capacity.”
He claimed the attack on Nukic wasn’t intentional. Nukic simply said Green “needs help” and was glad he didn’t “try to choke me.”
Green’s former teammate Kevin Durant chimed said he couldn’t comprehend what he saw.
“I hope Draymond
gets the help he needs. It’s been incident after incident,” Durant said. “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 has already missed three games, but following his suspension, he will likely miss 10 games, including a Jan. 4 matchup against the Denver Nuggets.
Basketball fans had a field day with the
incident once it reached social media. One fan even made a montage of the Warriors star making questionable plays and putting his hands on other players. Users labeled him as “thug life” and “the real menace to society” for some of the moves he made.After the suspension was announced, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said it was for the best.
“The answer is to help Draymond, give him the help he needs. Give him the opportunity to make a change that will not only help him, help our team, but help him for the rest of his life,” Kerr said, according to CBS Sports. “This is not just about an outburst on the court. This is about his life.”