Draymond Green says NBA Commissioner Adam Silver talked him out of retirement

After Chris Paul’s unfortunate news broke about his hand surgery, an announcement was made by the Warriors organization that helped stop their fans from bitting their nails to the bone. Golden State announced the return of Draymond Green to the team’s training sessions with the hope that he can help turn things around for the club.

After missing out on his team’s last 12 games due to another suspension, the four-time champion appeared on his podcast show this Monday and admitted that he even considered retiring from professional basketball.

However, he revealed that a chat with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made him reflect on his decisions. “I told him: ‘Adam, this is too much for me… It’s too much. It’s all becoming too much for me, and I’m going to retire,’” the player said, to what Silver then responded: “You’re making a very rash decision and I’m not going to let you do that.”

Draymond Green says he considered retiring during his suspension, per @wojespn pic.twitter.com/ik2ODSIlms

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 8, 2024

“We had a long conversation, which was very useful to me. I’m very grateful to play in a league with a commissioner like Adam who is more interested in helping you than hurting you, helping you than punishing you. He is interested in the players,” the power forward shared.

After suffering his latest ban from the league by hitting Jusuf Nurkic on December 13, the player served his time followed by therapy. The league released a statement in which they assure that Green “had taken steps demonstrating his willingness to conform to the behavior expected of NBA players […] He was followed by an advisor and met jointly with representatives of the NBA, the Warriors and the players’ association.”

This Sunday, Draymond was seen back at the practice floor before they lost to the Toronto Raptors. The veteran sat on the bench with his teammates, but wasn’t given the opportunity to defend the Bay Area jersey.

“It was great, we missed him dearly and we’ll never be the same until he’s in the lineup,” teammate Klay Thompson said postgame. “We are eager for his return on the court and he is obviously the backbone of this team and heart and soul, so I’m looking forward to just playing and be out there with Draymond again. He’ll be a difference maker.”

Head coach Steve Kerr still doesn’t know when Green will play again, but is excited to have him back

Green has received lots of criticism after his 18th-career suspension, but his team has stood by him during the process. His coach Steve Kerr wasn’t sure when he would be ready to play again, but he guarantees that Draymond’s attitude is positive and professional.

“He’s here, he looks good, he’s excited to be here,” the trainer said before Sunday’s match. “We just had our walkthrough, so he took part in the walkthrough. Good to have him back. We’ll just see. I have no idea when that will be.”

Golden State hopes the 33-year-old will bring back that fiery attitude that he’s shown throughout his 12-year career. His coach revealed that the audience in last night’s match at the Chase Center was mostly excited to see him back with his teammates.

“For sure,” Kerr shared. “Everybody’s excited to see him, it’s great to have him back. He’s one of our leaders and he’s happy to be back, so it’s a good vibe in there.”