Draymond Green left off Olympics list due to suspensions this season, Team USA director says

By Matias Grez, CNN

(CNN) — Draymond Green was left off Team USA’s provisional 41-man list for this summer’s Olympic Games due to the suspensions he’s received this season, USA Basketball executive director Grant Hill said Wednesday.

The 33-year-old was suspended for five games by the NBA for placing Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold during a November match, before he was then suspended indefinitely by the league in December for striking Phoenix Suns’ big man Jusuf Nurkić in the face.

Green was reinstated in the first week of January after serving a 12-game suspension.

“His contributions have been significant, and he is a real part of the legacy of this organization for his excellence,” Hill told reporters, per ESPN. “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.

“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.

“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.”

As part of his latest suspension, Green was required to “to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play.”

CNN has reached out to Green’s representatives for comment.

According to the NBA, Green had meetings with a counselor and has also on multiple occasions met with representatives from the league, the Warriors and the Players Association, and he will continue to do so throughout the season.

Green is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, finishing atop the podium with Team USA at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

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