Here’s why Draymond Green apologized again for punching Jordan Poole

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green really is sorry for punching then-teammate Jordan Poole during a preseason practice in 2022.

But, the four-time NBA All-Star said this week, it’s time to move on.

Green addressed the matter after Poole, now with the Washington Wizards, seemed to indirectly reference it while talking to reporters following the Wizards’ 122-114 loss Saturday to the Warriors in San Francisco.

“I love those guys over there,” Poole said of his former teammates, before quickly self-editing. “I love most of those guys over there.”

After Andscape NBA writer Marc Spears posted the quote on X, Green left a four-word response in the comments.

“I really am sorry,” Green wrote.

On the most recent episode of “The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis” podcast, Green addressed why he chose to apologize again more than two years after he did so the first time.

“I responded because, you know, it’s been [around] three years,” Green said. “Like, let’s move on, you know? We’ve moved on — like, supposed to move on, man. I really am sorry. [Poole’s] statement was kind of like it was looking for some sympathy and kind of keep wanting to make me out to be the bad guy.

“Move on, bro. Like, it is what it is. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have punched him. But, you know, it happened. Let’s move on, man.”

Green has spent all 13 of his seasons with the Warriors, winning four NBA championships along the way. Poole, a first-round pick for Golden State in 2019, was a significant contributor to the most recent of those titles, following the 2021-2022 season. That year, he led the league with a .925 free-throw percentage and averaged 18.5 points a game.

During a team practice Oct. 5, 2022, an apparent altercation between Poole and Green led the older player to get in the face of his younger teammate. Poole then shoved Green, who responded with a punch to the face so hard it knocked Poole to the ground.

“I know I was wrong, but you can’t call a man a B-word and push him and not get hit either,” Green said this week. “So I kind of sit in both of those spaces sometimes. And like, the reality is, the answer is probably somewhere in the middle, right? I shouldn’t have knocked him out like that. If anything, I should have hemmed him up — kind of was just a natural reaction.”

After video of the incident leaked to the public days later, Green addressed the matter in a news conference, saying he had apologized to Poole, Poole’s family and the rest of the team. Speaking with reporters later that month, Poole acknowledged Green’s apology and said they both intended on acting like professionals as the Warriors attempted to defend their title.

Green was fined by the Warriors but not suspended. He spent some time away from the team following the incident but was back in the lineup before the start of the regular season. Poole started in roughly half of the team’s games that season and averaged 20.4 points a game. But the Warriors’ season ended after they lost to the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals, and Poole was traded to the Wizards as part of a deal that sent Chris Paul to the Warriors that offseason.

During the 2023-24 season, Green received a five-game suspension for putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold during an on-court scuffle and an indefinite suspension that resulted in him missing 12 games for hitting Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face during a game.

Of the four times Poole has faced the Warriors since being traded, he had his best game Saturday, finishing with 38 points, five rebounds and five assists. Green indicated he wishes Poole hadn’t brought up their past issues afterward.

“You just kind of gotta move on and keep on pushing, man,” Green said. “You gotta let it go.”