Draymond Green says he was ready to retire until Adam Silver talked him out of making 'rash decision'
Green has missed the Warriors' last 13 games, 12 of which he was suspended for
Draymond Green was ready to end his career following his recent on-court issues, but he says one person was able to convince him to keep playing: NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
On the latest episode of his podcast, Green detailed a conversation he had with Silver while he was on his recent suspension from the Golden State Warriors. He wanted to walk away from the NBA, but Silver was able to talk him out of it.
"I told him, 'Adam, this is too much for me. ... This is too much. It's all becoming too much for me — and I'm going to retire.' And Adam said, 'You're making a very rash decision and I won't let you do that.'"
Green then praised Silver for his commitment to the players.
"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."
Green has been suspended twice this season, both times for violent on-court incidents. The first was a five-game suspension he earned after putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold during a brawl with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Then, not long after returning from that suspension, Green took a swing at Jusuf Nurkic during a game against the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 13. The NBA opted to suspend him "indefinitely" until he had met certain league requirements and met with a counselor.
That indefinite suspension ended up being 12 games. Green was reinstated Saturday, but did not play Sunday in the Warriors' 133-118 loss to the Toronto Raptors. He will also likely miss Wednesday's home game against the New Orleans Pelicans, but could return over the weekend when the Warriors are on the road in Chicago and Milwaukee.
