Draymond Green Says Sorry to Jordan Poole for Viral 2022 Punch Incident

On Saturday evening, Jordan Poole made his way back to Chase Center, but as a member of the Washington Wizards, to compete against his old squad, the Golden State Warriors.

Clearly holding a special place for the Warriors and his tenure there—including being part of their 2022 NBA championship win—Poole’s history with the team is often clouded by a notable altercation with Draymond Green.

In a well-publicized event during a 2022 practice, Green struck Poole, leading to a financial penalty from the Warriors against Green. Although the league didn’t suspend him, Green did step away from the team temporarily following the incident. It’s reasonable to assume that the dynamics between Green and Poole are still somewhat strained, especially based on comments Poole made to the press after the Wizards’ 122–114 defeat on Saturday.

“Yeah, I love those guys over there. I love most of those guys over there,” Poole expressed. “They’re a great team with a great staff. Big shout out to the fans too. I saw a lot of number 3 jerseys, a lot of JP3 jerseys out there, which is always awesome. I received plenty of affection [here]. I spent some significant quality time here, and it’s wonderful to see that it’s appreciated.”

Following his comments being shared on X, Green communicated through a tweet by ESPN’s Marc J. Spears, stating, “I really am sorry.” It’s hard to determine whether this was a sincere apology or a veiled jab at Poole, but either way, Green’s apology was made public, more than two years after the incident.

Last month, during an appearance on the Two Cents podcast with Penny Hardaway, Green referred to his physical altercation with Poole as “one of my biggest failures as a vet.”

“One of my greatest mistakes as a veteran was what occurred with Jordan Poole,” Green reflected. “I had to confront that failure with Jordan, who had chosen the locker next to mine because he was eager to learn from me. He was a person I invested time in and supported, and I messed it all up.”

It appears Green still harbors regret over the 2022 incident with his former teammate. Perhaps his recent public apology on X might help in repairing their strained relationship somewhat.

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