January 10, (THEWILL) – The Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green has served a 12-game suspension from the NBA and is now eager to return to help his struggling team. The veteran forward was suspended in December after striking Phoenix Suns centre Jusuf Nurkic in the face during a game.
Speaking to reporters after practice on Tuesday, Green said, “I didn’t touch a basketball for the first 10 days and then I started working again. It felt good to get back in the gym after I sat with some of my thoughts. It was refreshing to go get a workout.” He added that the time away made him realise how stressful his job is, but he is now hungry to contribute.
The Warriors have struggled without their defensive anchor and passing catalyst, losing six of the 12 games Green missed. A particularly humiliating 133-118 home loss to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, dropped the team’s record to 17-19, leaving them 12th in the Western Conference.
Green took responsibility for his actions, saying, “I’ve cost my team enough. I’ve cost this organisation enough.” The 33-year-old emphasised the urgency to help turn things around: “It’s very urgent because I wasn’t hurt. At least my body wasn’t hurt. My mind was hurt, my feelings were hurt, but it wasn’t like some injury kept me off the floor.”
Despite the circumstances around his return, Green said his teammates welcomed him back with applause at practice. He remains a vital part of the Warriors squad that won four NBA titles from 2015-2022.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
