Why Draymond Green Was Left Off Team USA Player Pool for 2024 Paris Olympics
Strictly on paper, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green would appear a potential no-brainer for any pool used to determine the Team USA Olympic men's basketball team.
Green, after all, played for the United States in both the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the 2020 Games in Tokyo. He averaged 2.6 points in 13.2 minutes across 14 games, and won two gold medals for his efforts.
However, Green was not in the 41-player pool unveiled Tuesday for this summer's Olympics in Paris—an omission USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill attributed to his 2024 suspensions.
"His contributions have been significant, and he is a real part of the legacy of this organization for his excellence," Hill said. "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."
Green was suspended indefinitely after elbowing Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in the head on Dec. 12, following a five-game suspension for choking Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert on Nov. 14.
"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," Hill said.