Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said in a podcast released Monday he was “crushed” by the fallout from his suspension led to criticism of Stephen Curry.
Green struck a somber and remorseful tone during an hourlong episode of “The Draymond Green Show,” publicly commenting for the first time since the NBA reinstated the 33-year-old from an indefinite suspension after he struck Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face last month.
Green ultimately missed 12 games, and he said Monday that he’s a changed man after almost a month away from the game. The league said Sunday that Green “demonstrated his commitment to conforming his conduct to standards expected of NBA players.”
Green admitted in the podcast that the weight of the suspension caused him to consider retirement, and he was particularly disheartened by how his behavior led to criticism of Curry. ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith questioned Curry’s leadership after the suspension was handed down, arguing Curry was being held “to lesser standards” than stars such as LeBron James.
The criticism “really hurt Green,” he said.
“It pissed me off, but it crushed me,” he said. “It crushed me because, how is Steph being a bad leader? This guy doesn't give us anything to tear him down about. This guy does everything the right way. And yet he's being torn down because of my actions? It crushed me. That was a tough blow to deal with.”
“I'm willing to apologize publicly.” Green said. “I sincerely apologize to Steph for my actions because that was a tough pill to swallow.”
Ex // Top Stories
The City recorded only five fewer deaths in the first two months of 2024 than the same span in 2023, which turned into San Francisco’s deadliest year on record
The federal government will make it easier to distribute methadone to patients suffering from opioid-use disorder, but California must follow suit before The City can…
Here's The Examiner's guide to navigating one of baseball's biggest vacation destinations
Curry and other members of the Warriors checked in on Green, who entered counseling as a condition of his suspension, during his absence. Point guard Chris Paul did the same, as did head coach Steve Kerr, whom Green said cried alongside him when the pair met at Green’s house a day after the suspension. Kerr previously called Smith’s comments “sickening” and “disgusting.”
Green said he also spoke with former Warriors executive Bob Myers, who is now working as an ESPN analyst and assisting the NFL’s Washington Commanders in the organization’s searches for a new head coach and head of football operations.
A 12-year NBA veteran, Green has spent the entirety of his career with the Warriors. He has been suspended six times in his career by the league or his team, including four suspensions in 2023 alone. Green admitted Monday that he “failed” the Warriors, who re-signed him last summer to a four-year contract extension with a player option in the final season.
The fallout of his latest suspension, which Green said included death threats to his mother, left the four-time All-Star considering retirement. Green said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver talked him out of hanging up his sneakers for good.
“I had a conversation with (Silver) and I just told him ‘Adam, this is too much for me ... it’s all becoming too much for me. And I’m going to retire,’” he recalled. “And Adam said, ‘You’re making a very rash decision. And I won’t let you do that.’”
Green rejoined the Warriors’ bench for Sunday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors, and will return to the court once his conditioning improves, the team announced. Green said now he has a chance to “show my growth.”
