Draymond Green has expressed regret over the infamous physical altercation he had with Jordan Poole last year, but the Golden State Warriors star wants to make it clear that there was a reason he punched his former teammate. The exact reason, however, still remains a mystery.
Green discussed the Poole incident during an episode of “The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone” that was released on Wednesday. The former Defensive Player of the Year was asked about rapper Cam’ron’s recent claim about the confrontation between Green and Poole. Cam’ron claimed that, prior to the punch, Poole told Green that Poole had slept with more women at Michigan State — Draymond’s alma mater — than Green just while visiting the campus.
Cam’ron said the situation then escalated when Poole made a comment while the Warriors were running sprints.

“Then they was running sprints or something and he told Draymond, ‘Don’t worry about it, you’ll be in Sacramento next year,’” the rapper said, as transcribed by Vibe’s Armon Sadler. “Then he told Draymond, ‘Why is your Twitter handle @MoneyGreen when you broke and you not gonna get a new contract?’ And that’s the one that broke the camel’s back.”
Green told Patrick Beverley that Cam’ron’s details were not accurate, but he indicated that Poole did say things that crossed the line.
"I don't just hit people. Dialogue happens over time and you usually ain't triggered by something that fast… We know stuff you don't say amongst men. We know things that you have to stand on."
– Draymond
(Via @PatBevPod / h/t @ClutchPointsApp )
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 19, 2023
“I don’t just hit people. Dialogue, of course, happens over time and you usually ain’t just triggered by something, like, that fast, to that degree. You know what I’m saying?” Green said. “This is a team. Ain’t nobody on my team triggering me in an instant. We know stuff that you don’t say amongst men, you know what I’m saying? Things that you have to stand on.”
That makes it clear that the tension had been building for a while. If you remember, a report not long after the incident claimed Green was not the only Warriors player who was annoyed with Poole.
Many have assumed Poole left the Warriors because of the Green incident, but another interesting theory was recently floated.