Warriors forward Draymond Green addressed the media following his third quarter ejection on Tuesday night for striking Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in the face.
“He was pulling my hip and I was swinging away trying to sell a call,” Green explained. “I made contact with him. As you know, I’m not one to apologize for things I meant to do but I do apologize to Jusuf because I didn’t intentionally hit him.”
That may be a tough one to sell to the league office, as it appeared that Green swung his right arm in a punching motion toward Nurkić’s face.
“I sell calls with arms. I don’t fall to sell a call. I’m not a flopper. So I was just selling a call…unfortunately, I hit him,” Green added. “As I’ve said before… a replay is never going to look good. But I know my intentions, my intentions were to sell a call. But I also know I’m not an accurate enough puncher to do a full 360 and connect with someone. So you know, it’s unfortunate.”
Draymond Green shares his side of the Jusuf Nurkić incident ???? pic.twitter.com/AYYCf4v2w3
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 13, 2023
Green was ejected from Tuesday night’s loss to the Suns after swinging and connecting with Nurkić while trying to jostle for position on an inbounds pass. The ejection was Green’s third this season through 23 games. Green has already been suspended once by the NBA for five games after putting Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold.
If the NBA feels the need to address the Green incident with another suspension, there’s a good chance it could be longer than five games. Golden State coach Steve Kerr was clear about the impact that Green’s absence can have.
“Yeah, we need him. We need Draymond. He knows that. We’ve talked to him. He’s gotta find a way to keep his poise and be out there for his teammates,” Kerr said.
The Warriors head to Los Angeles to face the Clippers on Thursday, and will prepare to do so bracing for the potential absence of their star forward.
