Draymond Green is once again at the center of controversy.
In the third quarter of the Warriors game against the Suns on Dec. 12, Green found himself back in the locker room after getting ejected for hitting Jusuf Nurkic in the head. The two were battling for position when Green turned around and swung his hand at Nurkic, connecting with the side of his head/face.
It's very likely that another suspension could be coming Green's way. The Golden State forward already had been assessed a five-game suspension by the NBA earlier in the year for putting Rudy Gobert in a head lock.
According to Spotrac, Green has served five different suspensions throughout his career, and a sixth might be on the way.
The Sporting News details Green's suspensions below.
Draymond Green suspension timeline
2016: Game 5 NBA Finals suspension for altercation with LeBron James
The most famous of all of Green's instances was the 2016 NBA Finals, where many feel his suspension cost the Warriors a championship. In Game 4, Green and LeBron James got tangled up at halfcourt and as James tried to step over Green, Green extended his arm and made contact with James' groin area.
The original call on the floor was a double foul but the NBA reviewed the play after the game and decided Green's actions warranted a Flagrant 1 foul. Because Green already had three flagrant foul points during the 2016 NBA Playoffs, his fourth point resulted in his suspension for Game 5.
You know how the rest of the story goes — James led the Cavaliers from down 3-1 to win the championship, knocking off Golden State on its home court in a historic Game 7.
2018-19: Suspension for altercation with teammate Kevin Durant
In 2018, the Warriors suspended Green for one game without pay for "conduct detrimental to the team" following an altercation with his teammate, Durant.
In the final seconds of a regular season game against the Clippers, Green grabbed a rebound and, although Durant was calling for the ball, elected to go coast-to-coast, driving into traffic before turning it over. The Warriors didn't get a shot off and eventually lost in overtime, but not before Green and Durant had a heated exchange on the sidelines in between periods.
The argument carried into the locker room after the game and has even been acknowledged by both Green and Durant as a turning point in Durant's eventual departure from Golden State.
2022-23: Fined for punching teammate Jordan Poole
This instance resulted in a fine, not a suspension, but it has still become an infamous moment for Green.
During the 2022-23 preseason, footage from a Warriors practice leaked that showed Green punching his teammate, Poole, in the face.
The footage was ugly and many believed a team-issued suspension would be coming — similar to the Durant situation — but Golden State elected to fine Green and have him step away from the team for a few days.
Green ended up playing in the Warriors' final preseason game and was available to suit up for the first game of the 2022-23 season.
2022-23: Suspended for season-long technical foul limit
Late into the 2022-23 season, Green was forced to serve a one-game suspension without pay for collecting his 16th technical foul of the year.
Under NBA rules, a player (or coach) is automatically suspended without pay for one game once he receives his 16th technical foul during the regular season. For every two additional technical fouls received during the regular season, the player (or coach) would be suspended for an additional game without pay.
Green picked up his 16th technical foul in the Warriors' loss to the Clippers on March 15. He served his one-game suspension on March 17 against the Hawks, a game Golden State lost by eight.
2023-24: Suspended five games for putting Rudy Gobert in headlock
Green's latest antics have earned him a five-game suspension from the NBA. On Tuesday, Nov. 14, Green asserted himself into an altercation between Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels during the Warriors-Timberwolves In-Season Tournament game.
Less than two minutes into the contest, with a 0-0 score, Green charged at Timberwolves star center Gobert and put him in a headlock amidst the scrap. Green was ejected for his actions, as were Thompson and McDaniels for starting the fight.
Draymond Green had Rudy Gobert in a sleeper hold pic.twitter.com/yivvAds10c
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) November 15, 2023
Draymond Green's most controversial plays
In addition to the moments above, Green has come close to a suspension a number of times.
In 2016, Green was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul for kicking Thunder center Steven Adams in the groin. He was not suspended for the following game, but he was fined $25,000.
The following year, Green was fined $25,000 for getting into an altercation with Bradley Beal.
At the end of this regular season, Green had another issue when he was tangled with Pelicans forward Herb Jones. Green made a kicking motion and hit Jones' back, but nothing came of the altercation aside from a few words exchanged.
In addition to his three suspensions, Green has tallied 163 total technical fouls and had to pay $1,260,100 in fines in his NBA career.