"Held him much longer": Draymond Green on chokehold to Rudy Gobert, reveals Steph Curry's reaction
While he initially downplayed the choking incident he was involved in earlier this season, Draymond Green is now singing a different tune, admitting that in hindsight, he did go far with it.
The Golden State Warriors All-Star was suspended without pay in November for putting Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert in a chokehold in a near fracas.
The scuffle between Draymond Green and Gobert occurred early in the first quarter of their teams’ game in San Francisco on Nov. 14. The two got involved after Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels figured in a pushing-and-shoving match midcourt.
Other players tried to separate them, including Gobert, before Green jumped on him, put him in a headlock, and dragged him away. McDaniels, Thompson, and Green were all ejected afterward.
For what he did, the former Michigan State player was fined $25,000 and suspended for five games.
In a recent conversation with ESPN's senior writer Ramona Shelburne, Green admitted that he may have gone too far with what he did to Gobert, saying:
“When I watched it back, I said, 'Damn, I held him much longer than I realized in that moment.'”
Green also shared that he spoke about the incident with Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, who expressed concern over what drove him to do what he did.
Draymond Green in hot water once again
While the Gobert incident is still fresh in the minds of many, Draymond Green is back in hot water after striking Phoenix Suns big man Jusuf Nurkic on Tuesday.
The incident happened with 8:23 remaining in the third quarter of the Warriors’ 119-106 loss to the Suns in Phoenix. While jockeying for position to receive the ball from an inbounds, Green swung his arms and hit Nurkic to the face, sending him down the floor.
After the review, it was assessed as a Flagrant Foul 2 and the four-time NBA champion was ejected from the game.
The NBA did not take the latest incident sitting down, expressing concern over a seeming pattern in recent plays by Green.
It moved to suspend the 12-year player indefinitely and immediately, saying he would “be required to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play,” as per ESPN.
Draymond Green has played in 15 of the 23 games of the Warriors so far this season, averaging 9.7 points, 5.8 assists, and 5.5 blocks in 25 minutes.