Draymond responds to Poole’s postgame quote with apologetic message originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Draymond Green was forced to exit the Warriors’ win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday due to a calf injury, but the veteran forward had something to say after the game.
Jordan Poole, who Green infamously punched during a Warriors preseason practice in October 2022, is now with the Wizards – and he made it clear he still loves the majority of his former teammates after dropping 38 points at Chase Center on Saturday .
“Yeah, I love those guys over there. I love most of those guys there,” Poole told reporters after the game. “A really good group. A really good staff. Greetings the fans. I saw a lot of 3 jerseys out there, a lot of JP3 jerseys, which is always really cool. I always get a lot of love [here]. I had a lovely time here and it’s great to see that it’s so appreciated.”
After Andscape’s Marc J. Spears shared the first part of that quote on X, formerly known as Twitter, after the game, Green responded to what appeared to be a subtle remark from Poole.
Both Green and Poole have spoken about the incident several times for over two years, with the Warriors forward recently calling it one of the low points of his NBA career.
“I’ve always been the guy that, no matter what, I always want to flow into someone younger than me,” Green told Penny Hardaway on the Two Cents Podcast last month. “And I have to say, I was kind of thrust into the role of a vet before I was ready to deal with it, before I knew what it would take to deal with it. And I failed miserably.
“One of my biggest failures as a vet was what happened to Jordan Poole. I had to go through that failure with Jordan Poole, who was someone who came in and picked his locker next to me because he wanted to learn from me. [He] was someone I would spend time with and pour myself into, and I [f–ked] “Everything is fine.”
Poole, meanwhile, was more outspoken about the situation and his relationship with Green afterwards.
“I don’t have an answer for you,” Poole told The Ringer’s Logan Murdock about the state of things with Green after the Warriors were eliminated from the 2023 NBA playoffs. “Other than that, it was just us on the court and teammates, and we were out there trying to win games.
“I remember saying at the beginning of the season, ‘We’re coming.’ We’ll get out of here. We will play on the pitch. “We’re going to try to win a championship.” We were teammates. Honestly, it’s just a business. And that’s really all it was, it is, it was. It was just a business. It was basketball.”
Green has experienced many ups and downs since the hit, including an indefinite suspension last season for repeated on-court altercations. But the 34-year-old hasn’t gotten into trouble so far in the 2024-25 NBA season – a sign that he may have grown into his leadership role.
And in his post on Saturday evening, it looks like Green remains filled with remorse over the incident.
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