Draymond Green OFFICIALLY considered retiring from the NBA after being suspended before being talked out of the league by Adam Silver
Draymond Green OFFICIALLY considered retiring from the NBA after being suspended before being talked out of the league by Adam Silver
The four-time NBA champion was handed an indefinite suspension by the league after hitting Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face last month and he missed 12 games as a result.
Draymond Green says Adam Silver talked him out of retiringCredit: Getty
Green was suspended for 12 games after striking Phoenix Suns star Jusuf Nurkic in DecemberCredit: Getty
The Golden State Warriors icon disclosed his conversation with Silver on his podcastCredit: X/@thevolumesports
The Golden State Warriors star was reinstated at the weekend and he participated in team activities on Sunday.
Green disclosed that he considered walking away from the NBA during his suspension but Silver, the NBA commissioner, convinced him to keep playing.
“I 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 on his podcast.
‘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.”
Green was forthright and apologetic about the incident which caused his lengthy suspension.“I was wrong,” Green added.
“I accept my fault in that, and I apologize…It brings pain.
“I have a wife, I have children, I have parents, I have grandparents, siblings, friends that I embarrassed, and it hurts.
“My mom experienced death threats. I have two children that are of school age, and they have to go to school.”
Green will not return immediately to game action – he will reportedly need close to a week to get back into NBA game shape.
He underwent counseling during his suspension, something he will continue after he returns to the Warriors.
The Warriors are 7-6 in Green’s absence, and are currently 11th place in the Western Conference with a 17-19 overall record.
Green also disclosed he talked with former Warriors general manager Bob Myers “two times a day” during the suspension.
“Our relationship goes far beyond him being my general manager,” Green said.
“Going through things like this shows what it means to be a true friend.”
Green’s suspension cost him $1.84million in career earnings.
DRAYMOND Green says he was close to retiring from the NBA during his recent suspension – but Adam Silver talked him out of it.
