Nurkic still respects Draymond, has ‘no bad feelings’ after incident

Nurkic still respects Draymond, has ‘no bad feelings’ after incident originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Jusuf Nurkić still respects Draymond Green and doesn’t view him any differently, even after taking a hit to the face from the Warriors veteran forward on Tuesday night.

“I have a lot of respect for him, obviously, even before this,” Nurkić said Wednesday before the Phoenix Suns‘ game against the Brooklyn Nets at Footprint Center (h/t Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin). “I still have it. I don’t know what people go through. It’s not our problem, but he’s an NBA champion for me, Hall of Famer still.”

Green was ejected in the third quarter of Golden State’s 119-116 loss to Phoenix after officials assessed him with a Flagrant 2 foul for swinging at Nurkić and striking him across the face during an inbounds play.

After the game, Green spoke to reporters and maintained that it wasn’t his intention to hit Nurkić, but rather he thought Nurkić was holding his hip and he was just trying to sell a foul call. Green also said he apologized to Nurkić.

Tuesday was the third time this season Green was ejected from a game.

“What’s going on with him? I don’t know,” Nurkić said after Tuesday’s game. “That brother needs help. I’m glad he didn’t try and choke me. But at the same time, it had nothing to do with basketball. I’m just out there trying to play basketball and they’re out there swinging.

“I think we saw that often. I hope whatever he got in his life, it gets better.”

The next day, Nurkić said he believed the NBA would “do what’s best for the league and for him” regarding further discipline. And, it did.

The NBA announced Wednesday it suspended Green indefinitely, stating the Warriors forward’s “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts” factored into the decision.

Green’s suspension will begin immediately, per the NBA, and he must meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play.

“It’s kind of sad to see people going in a bad direction,” Nurkić said. “I want him to succeed and still be the Draymond we all know. I have no bad feelings or any hate towards him.”

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