NBA: Draymond Green has been suspended for an indefinite period after Jusuf Nurkic clash.

Posted 5 months ago

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has been "suspended indefinitely" following his clash with Phoenix player Jusuf Nurkic that saw him ejected for the third time this season, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has officially confirmed.

The NBA said in a statement that the forward had been handed an open-ended ban given his “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts”, adding that he would be “required to meet certain league and team conditions” before he is allowed to return.

An indefinite suspension is an almost unheard of sanction by the NBA, which more commonly issues bans for a fixed number of games.

Green was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and ejected in the third quarter of the contest after he swung his right arm and hit Nurkic in the face.

The four-time All-Star apologized after the game and said the blow was inadvertent.

"I am not one to apologize for things I mean to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf because I didn't intend to hit him," he told reporters. "I sell calls with my arms ... so I was selling the call ... and I swung and unfortunately I hit him."

However, it didn't help Green's case that he's a repeat offender across his NBA career, and this was already his third ejection of the 2023-24 season.

In November, he drew a five-game ban after he placed Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock during a scuffle between the two teams.

The Warriors are 11th in the Western Conference at 10-13. The end of their dynasty was prematurely forecast prior to the 2022 NBA playoffs, but now it looks like the window has closed for good.

For the immediate future, Green's suspension won't exactly help Golden State as it attempts to climb into the top six.