Warriors' Green won't play in All-Star Game, hopes to avoid back surgery

Draymond Green's back injury will prevent him from suiting up during All-Star Weekend, the veteran Golden State Warriors forward and new Turner Sports analyst announced Thursday on the "NBA on TNT" pregame show.

Green later said before Thursday's game against the Sacramento Kings that he and the Warriors' staff don't believe his condition will require surgery, according to The Athletic's Anthony Slater.

Green's last NBA action was a token starting nod on Jan. 9 when longtime Warriors teammate Klay Thompson returned to the lineup after more than two years of injury woes. Green took the floor for the opening tipoff, then immediately committed a foul in order to be substituted out of the game.

Green's All-Star selection is the fourth of his career and first since 2018. The 31-year-old defensive floor general averaged 7.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game before his injury.

With NBA commissioner Adam Silver personally selecting replacements for injured All-Stars, Green threw his support behind Memphis Grizzlies forward and fellow Michigan State alumnus Jaren Jackson Jr.

"I wouldn't be mad to see a Spartan Dawg get in there," Green told his "NBA on TNT" colleagues, according to the Detroit Free Press' Chris Solari. "I wouldn't be mad at all."