Draymond Green Says He Was Going to Retire But Changed His Mind After Conversation with NBA Commissioner

Photo:Christian Petersen/Getty

Christian Petersen/Getty

But the 33-year-old Golden State Warriors star said he changed his mind after talking with a seemingly unlikely ally.

“I had a conversation with Adam Silver, commissioner of our league,” Greensaid on his podcast,The Draymond Green Show. “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.’ ”

Silver, however, pushed back on Green’s knee-jerk reaction.

“Adam said, ‘Ahhhh, you’re making a very rash decision and I won’t let you do that,’ ” the four-time NBA champion recalled.

The veteran forward said he was encouraged to see that the commissioner wanted him to work through the issue — instead of ending his 11-season career with the Warriors.

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“You know, we had a long, great conversation, very helpful to me,” Green said. “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 indefinitely suspended after striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić during a game on Dec. 12. The physical interaction led tohis third ejection of the season.

The NBAsaidin a statement at the time that “this outcome takes into account Green’s repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts.”

The league mandated that Green would be “required to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play."

The Michigan State alum has earned a reputation for being one of the league’s most physical players after several high-profile incidents over the years.

During the playoffs last season, the Warriors star was suspended forstomping on Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis’ chestafter he fell to the ground. And prior to last season, Green’s behavior was the talk of the NBA aftervideo leaked from a Warriors practicein which he sucker punched teammate Jordan Poole in the face during an argument.

“He’s here, he looks good, he’s excited to be here,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before Sunday’s game. “We just had our walkthrough, so he took part in the walkthrough. Good to have him back.”

source: people.com