Warriors' Draymond Green Reflects on Punching Jordan Poole, 'I F--ked That Up'

Draymond Green is still reflecting on punching his former teammate Jordan Poole two and a half years after the incident took place during a Golden State Warriors practice in 2022.

Green said around the 9:30 mark of Tuesday's episode of the Pivot Podcast that he had a "bunch of situations like that growing up" where he would fight someone and then "move on."

The Warriors veteran went on to say he learned from Poole's reaction to the punch he threw after Poole shoved him in an argument during practice.

"When that situation happened, I'm like, 'Alright, cool, we move on,'" Green said about the altercation with Poole (11:15 mark.) "And then when we couldn't, I was like, 'Huh?' And for a while it made me think, this dude's nothing like me, because when those things happen, you just move on.

"But it taught me so much. Because it taught me, you're right, he may not be like you. He ain't from where you're from. The things you went through, the way you had to come up, he may not have came up like that. So for that five seconds, I forgot where I was at, so I immediately went to what I know. But you know don't really work here."

Green continued, "Everybody said, 'Oh, man, but you were ten years in. You should know better.' ... But it's the lessons like that that ultimately make me who I am to this day, because man, I f--ked that up."

Poole, who helped Green and the Warriors win a title months before the altercation at practice, was traded to the Washington Wizards in July 2023.

The incident has still clearly been weighing on Green's mind in the years since. When Andscape's Marc J. Spears shared a January quote in which Poole said he loved "most" of his former Warriors teammate, Green responded with an apology:

Green then expressed frustration on a Jan. 22 episode of the Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis (1:00 mark) that he apparently hasn't been able to smooth things out with Poole since the incident.

"We've moved on. We're supposed to move on, man. I really am sorry. That statement was kind of like it was looking for some sympathy, you know what I'm saying?" Green said in January. "Like, kind of keep wanting to make me out to be the bad guy. Move on, bro. It is what it is. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have punched him, but it happened. Let's move on."

Poole was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for CJ McCollum ahead of the 2025 NBA draft. Green will meanwhile remain with the Warriors, where he is hoping last season's addition of Jimmy Butler can help him and Steph Curry make another postseason run next spring.