Video emerges of Draymond Green taking down Warriors teammate Jordan Poole with one punch
Video has been uncovered of the altercation between Golden State Warriors teammates Draymond Green and Jordan Poole.
TMZ obtained video from the Warriors practice on Wednesday in which Green, a former Michigan State basketball star, and Poole, a former Michigan basketball star, had to be pulled apart after words turned into a shove turned into a well-landed punch.
Reportedly, the trash talk — for which both players are well known for — turned to Poole's desire to build a pool in his home after he the new contract from Golden State that he presumes will come.
The video doesn't clearly show the two players jawing at one another until Green approaches Poole on the baseline. Green gets chest to chest with Poole until Poole shoves Green away. Green responds with a right-handed punch that caught Poole clean, knocking him back a few feet onto the wall, where teammates and staff quickly moved in to break the two up.
On Thursday, Warriors general manager Bob Myers and superstar Stephen Curry addressed the media. Myers said Green apologized to the team, including Poole, for his actions.
Green, 32, is renown for his volatile nature on the court. Many teammates and NBA observers admit the proverbial chip on his shoulder is what has made him and All-Star, former Defensive Player of the Year and the emotional leader of the four-time NBA champions. But run-ins with teammates is not a new thing for Green. He famously engaged in a screaming match with former teammate Kevin Durant on the sideline of a game during the superstar's final season with the Warriors.
He is the perhaps the best NBA player to play under Tom Izzo at MSU. Green was just inducted into the MSU Athletic Hall of Fame last month and was in East Lansing just before training camp.
Poole, 23, like Green is a late-pick success story who emerged last season as a vital reserve for the eventual NBA champions.
When asked if he minded Green’s occasional outbursts, Poole told NBA Bay Area Sports’ “Dubs Talks”: “What I appreciate most about it is that it’s who he is. He’s himself. And you can’t ask for anything more than that. If that’s how he expresses his feelings, you know he is our defensive anchor, Defensive Player of the Year, he’s a huge part of our team and he has so much knowledge. I mean if the only way he can get that out is by yelling and screaming, OK. It is what it is. You just take what it is, the lesson is, and you keep it pushing.”
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Video of Draymond Green punching Warriors teammate Jordan Poole
