On his latest podcast episode, Draymond Green dropped the bombshell that he considered retirement during his indefinite suspension from the league.
In an emotional conversation around the time of his suspension on December 13, Green revealed that NBA commissioner Adam Silver talked him out of retirement.
“I told him, ‘Adam this is too much for me, Green said on The Draymond Green Show. … This is too much. It’s all becoming too much for me — and I’m going to retire,’” Green said. “And Adam said, ‘You’re making a very rash decision and I won’t let you do that.’
“We had a long, great conversation — very helpful to me. Very thankful to play in a league with a commissioner like Adam who’s more about helping you than hurting you; helping you than punishing you. He’s more about the players.”
The league reinstated Green on Saturday following his suspension for striking Suns center Jusuf Nurkic.
“Green completed steps that demonstrated his commitment to conforming his conduct to standards expected of NBA players,” the league said in a statement. “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.”
Green has missed 14 games now and the veteran forward “is expected to need approximately a week of ramp-up before returning to game action”, according to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
During the podcast, Green made some other important admissions.
“The antics I can leave behind,” Green said.
He also stated that he has made a “commitment to be a champion of change,” accepting that there is “a place for growth.”
Let’s hope Draymond actually means it, because the Warriors can’t afford for him to miss any more time on the court as they sit dangerously close to falling out of Play-In contention.
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