Warriors' Green suspended 5 games for grabbing Gobert, returns for Kings game
The NBA has suspended Golden State's Draymond Green for five games for grabbing Minnesota's Rudy Gobert around the neck "in an unsportsmanlike and dangerous manner," the league said Wednesday night.
Also penalized by the league for their roles in the incident, which happened early in Tuesday's game between the Timberwolves and Warriors, were Gobert, his Minnesota teammate Jaden McDaniels and Golden State guard Klay Thompson — all fined $25,000 by the league.
McDaniels and Thompson were both ejected from the game, as was Green.
But Green will pay the biggest price, both in terms of games missed and money lost. The suspension will cause him to forfeit $769,704 in salary.
"The length of the suspension is based in part on Green's history of unsportsmanlike acts," the NBA said in the release announcing the penalties. Those sanctions were handed down by Joe Dumars, the NBA's Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations — and a longtime mentor of Green's.
Green's suspension begins Thursday when the Warriors play the Thunder, and Green will return to the Warriors when they play the Sacramento Kings in an In-Season Tournament group stage matchup on November 28. That game will be the third matchup between Sacramento and Golden State this season.