Warriors Coach Steve Kerr Addresses Draymond Green's Indefinite Suspension: 'Give Him the Help He Needs'

"To me this is about more than basketball, it's about helping Draymond," Kerr told reporters before tipoff on Thursday

The Golden State Warriors traveled to Los Angeles to play the Clippers on Thursday without Draymond Green, and head coach Steve Kerr addressed the NBA's rare indefinite suspension handed to his team's forward before tip-off.

The suspension stems from Tuesday night's game against the Phoenix Suns, where Green, 33, struck Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić, an incident that led to his third ejection of the season.

The NBA said in a statement posted to Twitter Wednesday night that “this outcome takes into account Green’s repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts," while announcing his "indefinite" suspension from the league.

On Thursday, Kerr, 58, spoke at length about Green during his pregame media availability.

"To me, this is about more than basketball, it's about helping Draymond," Kerr began. "I think it's an opportunity for Draymond to step away and make a change in his approach, in his life, and that's not an easy thing to do."

Kerr noted that Green's road ahead is "not something" that can be remedied in just a handful of games.

"The answer is to help Draymond, give him the help he needs," Kerr explained. "Give him the opportunity to make a change that will not only help him, help our team, but help him for the rest of his life."

Related: Draymond Green Says 'Shame on You' to Fans Who Think They Know Him from Just Watching Basketball

Kerr continued: "This is not just about an outburst on the court. This is about his life. This is about someone who I believe in, someone who I have known for a decade, who I love for his loyalty, his commitment, his passion, his love for his teammates, his friends, his family."

The Warriors head coach said he's trying to help "that guy," referring to the side of Green, who "grabbed Rudy [Gobert] and choked Rudy, the one who took a wild flail at Jusuf, the one who punched Jordan last year."

"That's the guy who has to change. He knows that," Kerr stated.

Kerr noted that Green's long history of tension with NBA officials, "over a decade of play," never went beyond "yelling at the ref or throwing a ball" until the last year or so.

"But look at the past year and what's happened," Kerr said. "He needs the opportunity to change, and that's what an indefinite suspension gives him the opportunity for."

Per the NBA's statement on Wednesday, Green will be “required to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play,” the league’s statement added.

The Golden State Warriors star will reportedly lose $153,941 per game if the suspension lasts less than 20 games and $202,922 per game if it goes on for more than 20 games, according to ESPN.

Related: Hazel Renee Jokes About Fiancé Draymond Green's Many Technical Fouls: There Goes 'the Wedding Fund'

After Tuesday night’s incident, Green claimed he didn’t intend to strike Nurkić in the face.

"I am not one to apologize for things I mean to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf because I didn't intend to hit him," Green told reporters. "I sell calls with my arms ... so I was selling the call ... and I swung and unfortunately I hit him."

He added: "Like I said, if I intended to do that, then I would feel awful about not being there. But my intentions were just to sell the foul."

Former player-turned-analyst Charles Barkley told CNN he believes the NBA will make Green “undergo some type of counseling” before he returns, much like they did with more recently suspended players such as Ja Morant and Kyrie Irving.

“I like Draymond,” Barkley said, “but you can’t punch guys.”

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In recent years, Green has either been suspended or landed in hot water with his team after other physical altercations.

During last year’s playoffs, Green was suspended for stomping on Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis’ chest after he fell to the ground. And before last season, Green’s behavior was the talk of the NBA after a video leaked from a Warriors practice in which he sucker punched teammate Jordan Poole in the face during an argument.

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