NEW YORK (AFP) — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green’s indefinite National Basketball Association suspension in the wake of violent on-court actions is over after 12 games, the league said Saturday.
The league issued a statement saying Green had been reinstated. He was suspended on 14 December after he was ejected for violently swinging an arm into the head of Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in a game two days earlier.
That incident came weeks after Green was given a five-game ban for grabbing Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert in a headlock and pulling him across the court.
The league said that during his suspension Green “completed steps that demonstrated his commitment to conforming his conduct to standards expected of NBA players.”
“He has engaged in meetings with a counselor and has met jointly on multiple occasions with representatives of the NBA, the Warriors, and the National Basketball Players Association, both of which will continue throughout the season.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said at the time of Green’s suspension that he thought the sanction — virtually unheard of in the league — was appropriate.
“To me, this is about more than basketball,” Kerr said last month. “It’s about helping Draymond.”
“It’s an opportunity for Draymond to step away and to make a change in his approach, in his life. And that’s not an easy thing to do.”
ESPN reported Thursday that Green was expected back at the Warriors’ training facility “in the coming days” to start preparing for a return to play.
ESPN, citing unnamed sources, said Green was described as “open and engaged” in meetings with team, league and union officials.
Green, the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year, has a long history of questionable fouls and has been ejected from 20 games in his career.
He was disciplined by the Warriors after an altercation in which he punched with former teammate Jordan Poole at a pre-season practice in 2022.
But he played a key role in four Warriors’ championship runs and he could provide a strong defensive presence for a Golden State team that has struggled to hold onto leads in recent games.
The 17-18 Warriors host the Toronto Raptors on Sunday having lost four of their last six games.
