Head coach Steve Kerr and former Warriors star Kevin Durant offered support to suspended Draymond Green.

Posted 5 months ago

In their first public comments since the NBA suspended forward Draymond Green indefinitely for his open-hand strike to Suns center Jusuf Nurkic’s face, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and former Warriors star Kevin Durant offered support.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr spoke about the suspension for the first time ahead of the team’s game vs. the Clippers. He shared why he believes the indefinite suspension was in Green’s best interest, as he needs some time to work on himself.

“I think the suspension makes sense,” Kerr said. “To me, this is about more than basketball. It’s about helping Draymond. I think it’s an opportunity for Draymond to step away and to make a change in his approach, in his life. "

That’s not an easy thing to do. That’s not something you say ‘Okay, we’re going to do five games, and then he’s going to be fine.’

“It’s not just about an outburst on the court—this is about his life,” Kerr continued. “This is about someone who I believe in, someone who I’ve known for a decade, who I love for his loyalty, his commitment, his passion, his love for his teammates, his friends, his family. Trying to help that guy. Because the one who choked Rudy [Gobert], the one who took a wild flail at Jusuf, the one who punched Jordan [Poole] last year, that’s the guy who has to change. And, he knows that.”

In the past two years alone, Green has punched his own teammate at the time, Jordan Poole, in the face; put Rudy Gobert in a full chokehold from behind; and now hit Nurkic in the face, alongside a number of other technical fouls and ejections during that time.

"I want him to finish his career in a dignified manner… he crossed the line," Kerr said of the latest incident. "And he knows that. We want to support him the whole way through"