If you thought the feud between Draymond Green and Jusuf Nurkic was over, you would be mistaken.
As a refresher, Green was handed an indefinite suspension after receiving a Flagrant 2 foul for striking Nurkic in a game between the Warriors and Suns in mid-December. In the immediate aftermath, there was Nurkic's claim that Green "needs help" while Green is on record admitting that he apologized to Nurkic.
Fast forward two months and the Suns were in San Francisco to face the Warriors in a highly-contested primetime game. Golden State came out on top thanks to Stephen Curry's heroics but throughout the game, there appeared to be no love lost between Green and Nurkic.
After trading trash talk and taunts throughout the game, the feud spilled into the media as Nurkic had plenty to say about Green, prompting yet another back-and-forth. Here's a recap of the latest chapter of their feud.
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What did Jusuf Nurkic say about Draymond Green?
"It's sad. He didn't learn anything," Nurkic said of Green on Saturday, Feb. 10. "Just a matter of time. He's going to hit somebody else again. I take back everything I said. He don't deserve a chance."
"His antics — trying to hit people," he added. "Stuff he shouldn't do. But I don't care, at the end of the day, I don't care — no one's worried about him."
Nurkic's comments indicate that he is not exactly a believer in Green's redemption arc after his time away from the team. During Green's indefinite suspension, he is said to have spent time in counseling to curb some of his antics on the floor and avoid any more incidents that could result in suspension.
It didn't take long for the comments to reach Green, who responded on a Feb. 13 episode of his eponymous podcast.
Draymond Green responds to Jusuf Nurkic
"Following the game, the little guy goes in the media," Green began. "Quite frankly, I'd like to know, why is it a matter of time before I hit someone else. Because I destroyed [Nurkic]?
"What in that game that happened with me would make you say something like that? Other than getting embarrassed because you're just not good enough."
Green would then list some of Nurkic's perceived shortcomings as a player, citing an inability to score on Curry or Klay Thompson during Saturday's game.
Referring to Nurkic as a "little guy" and a "clown," Green suggested Nurkic's decision to employ the "too small" celebration after scoring on Green was not warranted before making note of Nurkic's tendency to turn his back and wave off non-shooters, calling it "disrespectful to the game."
Green went as far as calling Nurkic a "coward" for taking his complaints to the media after the game. Green also made sure to compare his stat line of 15 points, seven rebounds and nine assists to Nurkic's six points, six rebounds and four assists to emphasize his point.
Green also hinted that he received an indefinite suspension because of the way Nurkic sold the call in December. "Bro, you 300 pounds. Get up off the floor, bro. If he actually didn't lay out on the floor like that, I actually don't get the suspension that I got probably. But dude laid out like he was dead."
You can find Green's rant in its totality on the latest episode of "The Draymond Green Show."
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Jusuf Nurkic and Draymond Green trade responses on X
Not long after Green's comments surfaced, Nurkic responded on X, writing "All good bad boy just don’t stay (too) long on podcast, gonna be late for therapy session," another reference to Green going to counseling before reinstatement.
Green used Nurkic's response as an opportunity to promote his latest podcast episode, posting, "Tap IN! Spoke in depth about the 300 pound soft that can't finish games. Enjoy. #TheNewMedia" with a link to YouTube channel.
Whew.
The Suns and Warriors have now met four times this season, so if the two were to go head-to-head again, it would be in the postseason.
