Draymond Green Apologizes to Steph Curry for Stephen A. Smith's Leadership Criticism

Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green showed remorse Monday for the impact his suspension had on teammate Stephen Curry.

Speaking on the Draymond Green Show (h/t Christian Arnold of the New York Post), Green discussed comments ESPN's Stephen A. Smith recently made about Curry and a perceived lack of leadership.

During an episode of ESPN's First Take, Smith said the following in reference to Curry: "Where's the leadership? Where's he at? What kind of impact is he having?"

Green responded Monday, saying: "Because he got crushed publicly for that, I'm gonna apologize publicly. I sincerely apologize to Steph for my actions."

The longtime Warriors forward also suggested that he took Smith's comments personally since Curry had nothing to do with his suspension:

"Because Draymond did X [Curry is a bad leader]. It pissed me off, but it crushed me. How is Steph enduring being a bad leader? Like this guy doesn't give us anything to tear him down about. This guy does everything the right way and yet he's being torn down because of my actions? Crushed me."

Last month, the NBA suspended Green indefinitely following a series of on-court incidents that resulted in flagrant fouls.

Green was ejected from a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in November when he put center Rudy Gobert in a headlock and he was ejected again last month when he hit Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in the face.

Noting Green's "repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts," the league suspended him indefinitely and noted that he would have to meet certain conditions before getting reinstated.

Green, who has missed the Warriors' past 13 games, was reinstated by the NBA on Saturday, and he is expected to return to game action soon.

Along with Klay Thompson, Green and Curry have enjoyed immense success together over the past decade.

As a trio, Curry, Green and Thompson won four championships in an eight-year span from the 2014-15 season through 2021-22.

With two NBA MVP awards and one NBA Finals MVP award to his credit, Curry is a surefire Hall of Famer, and both Green and Thompson have strong cases as well.

At just 17-19, the Warriors are off to a disappointing start this season, as they are 12th in the Western Conference, and trail the Los Angeles Lakers for the final postseason play-in tournament spot by a half-game.

The return of Green should provide a boost due to his impact defensively and as a playmaker, and if the Warriors are able to turn things around, it could go a long way toward silencing their detractors.