Draymond Green Risks It All as Contact With 35YO NBA Champ’s Neck Sends Shivers In Warriors Camp

The Golden State Warriors battled the Miami Heat neck-to-neck. And Draymond Green might have taken that a little too literally. Naturally, the Dubs would be desperate to get that spot in the play-in. They are on a two-game losing streak and are 36-34 in the West; barely hanging in there ahead of the Rockets (36-35).

It seems like that’s not an issue for Dray. Patty Mills took on the challenge of guarding the Warriors’ controversial forward and paid for it. Bam Adebayo had just gotten a pass from Nikola Jović and was going for the basket when Green practically bulldozed his way ahead. Unfortunately, the 35-year-old NBA champion (2014) saw his life flash before his eyes as Dray’s arms went around his neck in what looks somewhat like an unintended choke.

Upon review, the officials ruled it as a common foul. Suffice it to say that the Golden State cut it really close tonight. Given the history of physical altercations that Green had been in, there was a good chance this would have been flagged a Flagrant 2. Of course, everyone would still remember the final blow that landed Draymond Green in hot water – Jusuf Nurkić.

He had come back from a 5-game suspension for the Rudy Gobert chokehold when the 7-foot center got in his way. Green hit Nurkic on his head while fighting for post positioning in the corner in a game that saw the Warriors lose 116-119. Dray was ejected in the third quarter with 8:23 left on the clock. The review and subsequent discussions led to the 4x champion being assessed indefinite suspension.

Draymond could only return to the team if he adhered to certain rules and met the conditions set by the league. The whole “indefinite suspension” lasted for a total of 12 games. That was the sixth suspension of Green’s NBA career. Why don’t we take a look at the other five?

The suspension history of Draymond Green

Everybody knows Draymond Green to be a passionate and loyal player. But sometimes his passion can take on extreme levels and end up unfortunate for all parties involved. And nothing says this better than the suspensions he has on his resume. Four of them were directly from the league, while one was from the GSW.

November 2023

This saw Green in an unapologetic scuffle with Gobert of the Wolves. It was originally a tussle between Jaden McDaniels and Klay Thompson. Rudy was trying to break up the fight, but Dray being Dray, came to the rescue of his friend of 12 years and latched on to the 7’1 Frenchman with an arm around his neck. It was ejections all over, with Green being suspended for five games.

April 2023

It was Game 2 of the Western Conference first round and the Dubs were facing Sacramento. Domantas Sabonis was under Green this time, quite literally. The fourth quarter of the game saw Sabonis on the floor, trying to grab Dray’s leg. Not too happy with it, the 34-year-old stepped on the Kings’ power forward and received a Flagrant 2. He was also assessed a one-game suspension.

March 2023

Just a month before Sabonis, Green engaged in a relatively calm fight. Unfortunately, owing to the fact that it was the Michigan native’s 16th technical foul, it automatically translated to a one-game suspension. A Russell Westbrook bump saw Green, who was trying to get a rebound from Ivica Zubac’s hook shot, go off balance. The ball landed in Dray’s hands and he promptly tossed it off Russ’s head, resulting in a tech.

November 2018

This is an incident no Warriors fan would forget easily. Draymond Green had it out for Kevin Durant during an OT loss to the Clippers on the road. The fight between the pair started because Green decided not to pass the ball to KD in the final seconds, but ended up personal. More specifically, Dray brought Durant’s free agency into the dispute. The Dubs didn’t find it very pleasing and suspended him for a game without pay.

June 2016

This would probably be Green’s most infamous suspension ever – the groin hit to LeBron James in Game 4 of the 2016 NBA Finals. Many believe that had Dray not been suspended, the Cavaliers wouldn’t have won the title that year. They were trailing 3-1 in the series. Green and LeBron got into it near the mid-court with just three minutes left. Dray hit the deck and, while getting up, hit James’ groin, leading to a one-game suspension.

That’s the history of Draymond Green and his suspensions. What did you think of tonight’s decision? Were the refs right to assess him a common foul or should there have been a harsher punishment? Let us know your thoughts below!

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