Draymond Green Says Adam Silver Talked Him Out Of Retiring
Draymond Green returned to the Golden State Warriors over the weekend after his 12-game "indefinite suspension." But he almost didn't come back at all.
On the latest episode of his podcast, cleverly named The Draymond Green Show, the volatile power forward said he wanted to walk away from the NBA for good. But Commissioner Adam Silver talked him out of it.
"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. "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 had these retirement considerations while serving a suspension for hitting Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in the face during a game Dec. 12.
It was his second violent act that drew a league suspension within a month. The four-time NBA champ was suspended five games for grabbing Minnesota's Rudy Gobert and dragging him across the court in a choke hold on Nov. 14.
He also received a one-game suspension last season after stomping on Sacramento Kings' Domantas Sabonis. And his lowest moment came in 2022 when he punched ex-Warriors teammate Jordan Poole.
Draymond Green Accepts Responsibility For Violent Outbursts
Green began his podcast Monday with an admission of guilt for his actions.
"As I said then and I'll say now, I was wrong," he said. "I was wrong, regardless of what I was trying to do... none of that sh-t matters. I was wrong. I accept my fault in that, and I apologize.
"I am a guy who plays on the edge. I am a guy who walks right up to the line, and I have no problem with admitting I have walked over that line."
Draymond Green says he considered retirement during his suspension. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The 33 year old apologized not only for letting his team down, but he also took responsibility for "embarrassing" his family and bringing them pain.
"As a leader of a family, you have to lead when it's good, you have to leave when it's bad," he said. "And so, as a leader of anything, very hard to lead when you've created the bad."
That's all sunshine and roses, Draymond. But the only apology that matters is changed behavior. And that's something NBA fans are going to have to see before they believe.
The NBA reinstated Green on Saturday after he underwent a month of counseling. The Warriors expect him to be ready to return to the court in about a week, and he'll continue his counseling sessions as the season goes on.
He'll rejoin a struggling Warriors team that is 17-19 — No. 11 in the Western Conference.
The four-time All-Star has averaged 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 15 games this season. In the first season of a four-year, $100 million contract, he is losing $153,941 for every game he misses.
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