Draymond Green’s suspension problems are the reason he was left out of Team USA’s player pool for the Paris Olympics this summer, USA Basketball executive director Grant Hill told ESPNESPN.
“His contributions have been significant, and he is a real part of the legacy of this organization for his excellence,” Hill told reporters on Wednesday. “But I think just in lieu of sort of what’s transpired this year, we made a decision to not have (Green) on this list with this particular point in time with the process.”
It comes as a surprise given Green’s teammates Steph Curry and Chris Paul were listed among the 41 players in the player pool revealed on Tuesday and Warriors coach Steve Kerr will be the national team’s head coach. Green won gold medals with Team USA at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Klay Thompson, who won gold with Team USA in 2016, was left off the list as well. Curry is expected to participate in his first Olympic games.
Green, 33, was suspended twice this season for on-court outbursts and behavior. He was suspended five games in November for putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold and was suspended indefinitely, returning after 12 games, in December for hitting Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic.
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“We all understand and certainly have great respect and sensitivity to this particular period in his career, and he’s working through some things both on and off the court,” Hill told ESPN. “And so we at USA Basketball wanted to support him on his journey and we just didn’t feel that playing over the summer gives him the best opportunity to do what he needs to do.”
