Draymond unapologetic after suspension: 'I'm going to be me, no matter what'

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green says he doesn't regret his actions that led to a five-game suspension.

Green spoke to the media on Sunday for the first time since his punishment for putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold, with his suspension ending on Tuesday.

"I'm going to play basketball the way I play basketball," Green told reporters, including The Mercury News' Shayna Rubin. "The way I play basketball has gotten me here ... I'm going to be me, no matter what. That's not going to change."

The NBA stated it handed Green a longer suspension "based in part on Green's history of unsportsmanlike acts," something the four-time All-Star disagrees with.

"To continue saying, 'Oh, what he did in the past.' I paid for those," Green said. "I got suspended for Game 5 of the Finals. So you can't keep suspending me for those actions."

The Warriors went 2-4 with Green out of the lineup, including the loss to the Timberwolves, in which he played less than two minutes before his ejection.

Green's 8.8 points per game is his highest mark since the 2017-18 season, though his 5.7 assists are his lowest in nearly a decade. The 33-year-old is playing just 22.2 minutes per contest.