Nearly a week after the NBA reinstated Draymond Green from his indefinite suspension, the Golden State Warriors star is expected to return Monday against Memphis, according to multiple reports.
ESPN and The Athletic reported Green plans to play against the Grizzlies.
The NBA reinstated Green on Jan. 6. The league suspended Green indefinitely on Dec. 13 for ‘striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in the face” during a game the day before.
Green had to meet league and team conditions before he returned. He said he considered retirement but that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver talked him out of it.
‘During the period of his suspension, which began on Dec. 14 and resulted in him missing 12 games, Green completed steps that demonstrated his commitment to conforming his conduct to standards expected of NBA players,’ the NBA said in a news release. ‘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.’
The Warriors went 7-5 during his suspension and were 8-8 overall during his absence. They are 18-21 overall and in 12th place in the Western Conference.
Green’s suspension without pay cost him $1.84 million.
The Dec. 13 suspension came just six games after he served a five-game suspension without pay in November for “escalating an on-court altercation and forcibly grabbing Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert around the neck in an unsportsmanlike and dangerous manner.’
The indefinite suspension issued in December was Green’s fourth suspension since March, including a one-game suspension in the first round of the playoffs against Sacramento in April.
This season, Green, who signed a four-year, $100 million contract with Golden State in the offseason, is averaging 9.7 points, 5.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds and shooting 49% from the field and 42.9% on 3-pointers.
Green is a four-time NBA champion, four-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection, eight-time All-Defense performer and 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year.
