Draymond Green and Jordan Poole got into a physical altercation this past Wednesday at the Warriors practice facility. The altercation erupted during a team practice in preparation for the upcoming season, which is set to begin for the Warriors on October 18th with their opener being against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Warriors are coming off of an NBA championship run that saw them defeat the Boston Celtics in last season’s NBA finals.
The altercation was reportedly started by Draymond Green. The longtime Warriors forward has a well documented history of being involved in conflict throughout his career both with teammates and opposing players alike. A short clip of the incident surfaced on Friday morning that appears to show Poole shoving Green before Green punches Poole in the face, knocking him back.
The Warriors have since banned Green from the practice facility for the following week. The Warriors and Green are no stranger to teammate drama. Famously in 2019 Green and ex-Warrior Kevin Durant got into an argument on the bench during a game. This argument is widley considered to be one that swayed Kevin Durant’s decision to leave Golden State the following off season.
Jordan Poole is also not without blame in the altercation either, as it has been reported that Pooles attitude in practice has been different this season due to the fact that Poole stands a chance to get a large contract extension at the end of this season.
However, the altercation is not worrying some of the older and more experienced members of the organization. Warriors veteran and former Finals MVP Andre Iguodola took to twitter and expressed that the situation was a “family” one and stressed that both Poole and Draymond were “good character” and that he feels the situation would be resolved.
The altercation comes just days after Superstar Point Guard Stephen Curry said he believes that this upcoming season is going to be special, expressing his excitement about a seasoned core of champions coming together with young players that have tremendous upside. General Manager Bob Myers has also come out and said that this preseason has had the best “vibe” to it out of any during his tenure with the Warriors.
The team has stated that they will punish Green within the team internally.
It has since been reported that Draymond Green apologized to the Golden State Warriors organization on Thursday morning, the day after the incident took place.
With the Warriors season so close to beginning, it remains to be seen just how much this altercation will affect the chemistry of the team going forward. The team is looking to repeat as NBA champions this year, and both Green and Poole are going to have big roles to play in getting that goal accomplished for the team. The Warriors have been one of the most consistent and first class organization in recent NBA history and Warriors fans are expecting another season of high quality basketball out of this team, especially coming off of a championship season.