Draymond Green reveals why he didn't retire from the NBA

Considering how harsh the NBA has been on Draymond Green throughout the course of the years, one could think that they don’t like him that much. To be fair, he’s earned plenty of the criticism and punishment as well.

The league has constantly made an example out of the four-time champion. He was even handed an indefinite suspension because of his constant entanglement in physical altercations and questionable play.

The Golden State Warriors have missed his defense and playmaking for 14 games now, but he’s ramping up his physical preparation to get back on the court once and for all.

Adam Silver Talked Draymond Green Out Of Retirement

Nonetheless, that almost didn’t happen. Apparently, Green was having a tough time coping with therapy and his suspension and was on the verge of retirement until Commissioner Adam Silver talked him out of it:

Adam Silver, Commissioner of the NBA

“I told him, ‘Adam this is too much for me. This is too much. It’s all becoming too much for me — and I’m going to retire,’” Green said. “And Adam said, ‘You’re making a very rash decision and I won’t let you do that.'”

Green tipped his hat to the Commissioner and praised him for being more about helping the players and not so much about punishing them. Clearly, it was never personal for Silver:

“We had a long, great conversation — very helpful to me,” Green added. “[I’m] Very thankful to play in a league with a commissioner like Adam who’s more about helping you than hurting you; helping you than punishing you. He’s more about the players.”

see also

How Draymond Green managed to end his suspension

At the end of the day, Green is an adult and needs to deal with his emotions as such. His team has missed him, and he needs to do better and understand the consequences of his actions. His team also needs to be thankful to Adam Silver, as Green is the kind of player no one can replace.