Draymond Green suspension timeline: Complete history of Warriors forward's most controversial plays

There isn't anyone else in the NBA quite like Warriors forward Draymond Green.

Whether you consider him a loose cannon, a defensive menace or something in between, Green has proven that he knows how to play winning basketball -- but his temper has cost him and the Warriors at times.

Green has a long history of suspensions in the NBA, and his propensity for technical fouls consistently puts him at risk of another. That's a dangerous game for the Warriors, who have seen the former Defensive Player of the Year's antics cost them on the NBA's biggest stage before. 

The Sporting News details Green's suspensions and rule violations below.

How many times has Draymond Green been suspended?

Green has been suspended six times in his NBA career. He's received 227 fines, though most were small, standard fines resulting from technical fouls. 

21 suspensions were handed out league-wide during the 2024-25 NBA season, including punishments from teams rather than the league office itself. That was a jump compared to 17 in 2023-24, but both figures are dwarfed by the NBA's 32 suspensions in 2022-23. 

With the NBA typically averaging less than one suspension per team each season, six for one player -- even over a 13-year career -- is certainly high. 

Draymond Green suspension timeline

2016: Game 5 NBA Finals suspension for altercation with LeBron James

The most famous of all of Green's instances was the 2016 NBA Finals, where many feel his suspension cost the Warriors a championship. In Game 4, Green and LeBron James got tangled up at half-court and as James tried to step over Green, Green extended his arm and made contact with James' groin area.

The original call on the floor was a double foul but the NBA reviewed the play after the game and decided Green's actions warranted a Flagrant 1 foul. Because Green already had three flagrant foul points during the 2016 NBA Playoffs, his fourth point resulted in his suspension for Game 5.

You know how the rest of the story goes — James led the Cavaliers from down 3-1 to win the championship, knocking off Golden State on its home court in a historic Game 7.

2018-19: Suspension for altercation with teammate Kevin Durant

In 2018, the Warriors suspended Green for one game without pay for "conduct detrimental to the team" following an altercation with his teammate, Durant.

In the final seconds of a regular season game against the Clippers, Green grabbed a rebound and, although Durant was calling for the ball, elected to go coast-to-coast, driving into traffic before turning it over. The Warriors didn't get a shot off and eventually lost in overtime, but not before Green and Durant had a heated exchange on the sidelines in between periods.

The argument carried into the locker room after the game and has even been acknowledged by both Green and Durant as a turning point in Durant's eventual departure from Golden State.

2022-23: Suspended for season-long technical foul limit

Late into the 2022-23 season, Green was forced to serve a one-game suspension without pay for collecting his 16th technical foul of the year.

Under NBA rules, a player (or coach) is automatically suspended without pay for one game once he receives his 16th technical foul during the regular season. For every two additional technical fouls received during the regular season, the player (or coach) would be suspended for an additional game without pay.

Green picked up his 16th technical foul in the Warriors' loss to the Clippers on March 15. He served his one-game suspension on March 17 against the Hawks, a game Golden State lost by eight.

2022-23: Suspended for stepping on Domantas Sabonis' chest during playoff game

The NBA suspended Green one game for stepping on the chest of Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis during a playoff game in 2023. 

Green was ejected from the game after the foul. Replay showed the former Defensive Player of the Year plant his foot directly on Sabonis' chest after getting tangled up, and he appeared to use the chest as a springboard to jump up and get down the court.

The Warriors trailed the series 2-0 after Game 2, but they would go home and win Game 3 on the road without Green. Golden State fell to the Lakers in the second round.

2023-24: Suspended five games for putting Rudy Gobert in headlock

Green's latest antics have earned him a five-game suspension from the NBA. On Tuesday, Nov. 14, Green asserted himself into an altercation between Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels during the Warriors-Timberwolves In-Season Tournament game.

Less than two minutes into the contest, with a 0-0 score, Green charged at Timberwolves star center Gobert and put him in a headlock amidst the scrap. Green was ejected for his actions, as were Thompson and McDaniels for starting the fight.

Draymond Green had Rudy Gobert in a sleeper hold pic.twitter.com/yivvAds10c

2023-24: Suspended indefinitely for striking Jusuf Nurkic

Less than a month after the Gobert fracas, Green grabbed the NBA's attention when he swung his arm around and forcefully struck Suns C Jusuf Nurkic on the side of the head.

Green and Nurkic were both a bit physical before Green swung his arm, but officials quickly determined the Warriors veteran's actions were "excessive" and ejected him from the game.

Because he had just been suspended five games four weeks earlier, the NBA chose to suspend Green indefinitely, forcing him to meet certain conditions before his return. The ban ultimately lasted 12 games and cost Green more than $1.8 million.

Draymond Green's most controversial moments

In addition to the moments above, Green has come close to a suspension a number of times.

In 2016, Green was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul for kicking Thunder center Steven Adams in the groin. He was not suspended for the following game, but he was fined $25,000.

The following year, Green was fined $25,000 for getting into an altercation with Bradley Beal.

At the end of this regular season, Green had another issue when he was tangled with Pelicans forward Herb Jones. Green made a kicking motion and hit Jones' back, but nothing came of the altercation aside from a few words exchanged.

In addition to his three suspensions, Green has tallied 163 total technical fouls and had to pay $1,260,100 in fines in his NBA career.

2022-23: Fined for punching teammate Jordan Poole

This instance resulted in a fine, not a suspension, but it has still become an infamous moment for Green.

During the 2022-23 preseason, footage from a Warriors practice leaked that showed Green punching his teammate, Poole, in the face.

The footage was ugly and many believed a team-issued suspension would be coming — similar to the Durant situation — but Golden State elected to fine Green and have him step away from the team for a few days.

Green ended up playing in the Warriors' final preseason game and was available to suit up for the first game of the 2022-23 season.