Draymond Green clarifies stance on infamous altercation with Jordan Poole: "The worst mistake I've ever made in my life"
Draymond Green isn't exactly the best teammate. While he's a big part of the Golden State Warriors, the defensive specialist had a physical altercation with Jordan Poole, his teammate, shortly before the start of the 2022-23 season.
The Warriors forward recently appeared on the "Know Mercy" podcast with Stephen A. Smith, where he shared his thoughts regarding the incident.
"When I hit him, I'm like, 'Oh...' and I grabbed him," Green said regarding the incident. "Probably the worst mistake I've ever made in my life, but we all make mistakes."
Green's behavior was completely unacceptable and he was aware of it. Due to the incident, the forward was fined by the Warriors, but he wasn't suspended.
Draymond Green explains why he hit Jordan Poole
The leaked video of the incident shows Draymond approaching Jordan Poole and Poole pushing him away. However, right after the push, Green punched his teammates, knocking him to the ground.
"Growing up, I was always taught you don't push anybody," Green said on the podcast. "Because if you push someone they're going to hit you, they're not going to push you back."
He added that at the time of the push, he wasn't Draymond Green, an NBA player. He did not care about being a role model or about the consequences he would face.
"I reverted back to Draymond Green growing up in Saginaw, Michigan, without no regards to anything around me, any situation around me," the Warriors forward said. "I wasn't thinking ... and I was just living right in that moment."
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Green was raised in one of the worst neighborhoods in Saginaw, Michigan. Even as a kid, he learned how to protect himself, but he understands that he shouldn't have attacked his teammate.
Green admits his mistake, calls it one of his worst moments
Green's behavior was outrageous and he was criticized by both players and fans. As a result, the Warriors fined the forward, but they did not suspend him. Considering how hard the punch was, this was a surprising decision by the Dubs.
However, it appears that Green has learned his lesson. He even considers the altercation with Jordan Poole one of the worst moments of his life.
the altercation between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole at practice 😳https://t.co/hPxlBaBEwS
"It was the biggest f**kup that I've ever made in my life," Green admitted. "To make matters worse, one of my worst moments that I've ever had in life was then shared with the world, and that made it even tougher."
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It appears that Green and Poole are on good terms now. In fact, shortly after the incident, the Warriors guard signed a four-year contract extension with the team and will make up to $123 million from it.
Draymond, on the other hand, has a Player Option on his contract for the 2023-24 season. Considering that he wants a big deal from the Warriors, there is a chance that he will opt out of his contract next summer.