Jusuf Nurkic of the Phoenix Suns is the latest NBA player to experience the wrath of Draymond Green, but that doesn’t mean he dislikes the man.
Speaking with the media, Nurkic made it clear that he admires and cares for Green, regardless of the ugly incident they had the other night.
“I have a lot of respect for him, obviously, even before this. 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,” Nurkic said, according to NBACentral.
Jusuf Nurkic says there’s still tons of respect for Draymond Green
“I have a lot of respect for him, obviously, even before this. 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.”
(Via… pic.twitter.com/iF7SFo8tRO
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 14, 2023
Nurkic has every reason to be upset at Green but instead, he is showing sympathy and concern for the four-time champion, who is now indefinitely suspended by the league.
There are numerous players for various teams who care deeply for Green and he is close friends with many of his teammates, as well as plenty of his opponents.
The stars and coaching staff on the Warriors love Green and have repeatedly defended him throughout his career.
After his recent incident with Rudy Gobert, Steve Kerr noted just how much Green’s behavior hurts the team, which was a frank admission.
The defense of his latest actions has been very limited and it’s clear that he is on very thin ice and his career is in jeopardy.
Nurkic said he believes Green is experiencing something personal that goes beyond basketball.
Whatever the issues, they need to be addressed before the league will welcome him back.
It is nice to hear that Nurkic doesn’t hold negative feelings about Green but the damage has been done and now the Warriors star has a very long way to get back to where he once was.
NEXT:
NBA Executive Explains How League Decided Draymond Green’s Suspension
