Draymond Green suspended indefinitely by NBA for hitting Suns C Jusuf Nurkić (Video)

Draymond Green was suspended indefinitely by the NBA on Wednesday after the Golden State Warriors veteran was ejected for punching Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić on Tuesday night. It is Green’s second suspension this season.

In his announcementThe league said Green must “fulfill certain league and team conditions before he can play again.” It is unclear what that means exactly and how long Green will be out. The league “took into account Green’s repeated history of unsportsmanlike conduct” when determining this suspension, it said.

Green, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPNis scheduled to meet with Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy and Green’s agent on Thursday to discuss a “path of counseling and assistance for Green moving forward.”

Draymond Green sent off after hitting Jusuf Nurkić

In the third quarter of the Warriors’ 119-116 loss to the Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix, Green began jockeying for position with Nurkić on a throw-in. Then suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, Green turned and threw a punch, hitting Nurkić square in the face with a right hand that sent the 7-foot-4 player flying to the court.

Green was quickly assessed a foul, which was upgraded to an intentional foul with two fouls, and as a result, he was ejected from the game.

Nurkić said Green’s swing had “nothing to do with basketball.” Suns coach Frank Vogel also sharply criticized Green after the game, calling his move “a reckless, dangerous play.”

This latest incident came just weeks after Green returned from his previous five-game suspension, which he received after putting Minnesota Timberwolves forward Rudy Gobert in a chokehold. Green, with tournament play last month still tied 0-0, flew in and put Gobert in a chokehold after Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels and Warriors guard Klay Thompson got into a tussle, sparking a larger altercation.

Green did not apologize for his behavior after the game, saying he would always defend his teammates, but acknowledged that “there is room for improvement and I have to be better in these moments in different situations.”

Green was suspended for “escalating an on-court altercation” following the chokehold incident, which was due in part to Green’s “history of unsportsmanlike conduct.” The NBA used the same reasoning for that suspension.

This latest suspension is now Green’s sixth of his career. He was suspended last postseason after stomping on the chest of Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis. Green now has 18 regular season ejections in his career, which is the most of any active player in the league. He has already been ejected three times this season, or in 20% of the games he has played in.

Green entered the season averaging 9.7 points, 5.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds, his 12th in the league. The loss to the Suns dropped the Warriors to 10-13. They next face the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night, but without Green.