- The NBA suspended Green indefinitely after he hit Suns center Jusuf Nurkic
- Green is serving his second suspension this season after his 19th career ban
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Stephen A. Smith of ESPN questioned the leadership of Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry when forward Draymond Green received his second suspension this season.
On Wednesday, the NBA suspended Green indefinitely for Tuesday's assault on Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic and a “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts.” The suspension comes a month after Green was suspended for five games for tying up Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert.
During Thursday's edition of First Take, Smith acknowledged the double standard Curry is being treated with for not holding his teammate accountable.
“If this was LeBron James,” Smith said. “If this was a teammate of LeBron James, we would be all over LeBron James.”
'Where is the leadership? I don't think we should hold Steph Curry to lower standards.”
Stephen A. Smith questioned Steph Curry's leadership following Draymond Green's suspension
The NBA suspended Green indefinitely after the attack on Suns center Jusuf Nurkic on Tuesday
After the 1169-1119 loss to Phoenix, Curry acknowledged how Green is constantly being ejected and suspended, which is hurting the Warriors. However, Golden State's franchise player barely scratched the surface of Green's unsportsmanlike actions.
“We always told him, 'You can't change who you are as a player, the competitive spirit you have, the physicality you play with,'” Curry said.
“But you can't give people the opportunity to look at you a certain way and have to be judge and jury in every incident that occurs. That's difficult because we need him there.'
Player availability is a huge factor in the Warriors' struggles this season. With Green suspended, the Dubs enter Thursday's game against the Clippers with a 10-13 record.
Smith claimed that people hold Curry to a lower standard than fellow NBA star LeBron James
Green's productivity on the floor has also dropped significantly since Golden State's championship years. This season, Green is averaging 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.
Before the incidents with Nurkic and Gobert, Green was slapped on the wrist for stomping on the chest of Kings center Domantas Sabonis during the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
On the other side of that season, Green knocked out former teammate Jordan Poole in preseason camp, which many fans cited as the first sign that the Warriors were falling apart.
At 19, Green has become the second-most ruled out player in NBA history, behind Rasheed Wallace's 25. He has also paid more than $3 million in suspension fines.