It has been more than two years since Draymond Green punched Jordan Poole during a preseason Warriors practice, but the incident that led to Poole’s eventual departure from the team still hangs over both players’ careers.
After the Warriors’ 122-114 win Saturday night over the Wizards at Chase Center, Poole was asked about his reception from the crowd and his former Golden State teammates and coaches.
“I love those guys over there. I love most of those guys over there,” Poole told reporters. “A really good group. A really good staff. Shoutout to the fans. I saw a lot of (No.) 3 jerseys out there, a lot of JP3 jerseys, which is always really cool. I always get a lot of love (here). I spent some good quality time here, and it’s dope to see it appreciated.”
Green, who left the game in the first quarter with calf tightness, responded to Poole’s clarification of his Warriors love as an opportunity to apologize for the punch.
“I really am sorry,” Green wrote on the social media platform X, responding to Poole’s quote shared by ESPN reporter Marc J. Spears.
Green has previously taken accountability for the October 2022 punch, which was caught on video and released by TMZ just before a disappointing title defense season that ended in a playoff loss to the Lakers. Poole was traded to Washington the next summer for Chris Paul even before his four-year, $128 million extension signed with the Warriors in the days after the punch kicked in.
He called the punch and his relationship with Poole “one of my biggest failures as a vet” speaking on Penny Hardaway’s Two Cents podcast last month.
Poole scored 38 points to lead all scorers in the game, making eight of his 15 3-point attempts. He struggled with the Wizards in his first season after the trade, often finding himself on lowlight reels online as he went from a depth player on a title contender to a lead guard on a non-playoff team. This year, he’s averaging career highs in 3-point percentage (40.7) and assists (4.8) playing more point guard under new Washington coach Brian Keefe, though his 3.5 turnovers per game are also the most in his career.
“I’m playing my true position, being able to be aggressive,” he said of this visit to San Francisco compared to last season’s. “I think you can see I get out, get my teammates involved, score the ball, put pressure on the defense, just be extremely competitive. Last year was a bit different in terms of my role and of course, all the extra stuff leading up to it.”