Steve Kerr admits Draymond Green ‘crossed the line’ with Jordan Poole incident

Steve Kerr admits Draymond Green ‘crossed the line’ with Jordan Poole incident

We are nearly two calendar years removed from the infamous Draymond Green–Jordan Poole incident during training camp leading into 2022-23. Green lunged and punched Poole during practice after the two exchanged words.

Draymond’s punch on Jordan Poole pic.twitter.com/lsvlCUwZcC

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 7, 2022

In an appearance on the latest Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz episode Tuesday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, unsurprisingly, admitted how much that single incident fractured the season before it even started after he was asked about a time where he was angriest with Green.

“[Draymond Green] crossed the line about Jordan and he knows it, he knew it immediately,” Kerr said. “And it made that season incredibly difficult for everybody. That story has been regurgitated many times but that’s probably the time I was most angry (at Green).”

Steve Kerr on his angriest moment with Draymond Green:

“There’s a lot of examples… For sure, the Jordan Poole incident… He crossed the line… and it made that season incredibly difficult for everybody.”

(via @LeBatardShow) pic.twitter.com/1jkc1skqHS

— GSW Ball Report (@GSWBallReport) September 17, 2024

The Warriors, coming off a title run that season prior, finished 44-38 with tied for the fifth-best record in the Western Conference. As the No. 6 seed, they downed the Sacramento Kings in seven games before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

Poole, who agreed to a four-year extension with Golden State in Oct. 2022, was eventually traded to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Chris Paul last summer. Paul was waived after one season since his contract for this upcoming season was non-guaranteed.

Watch: Evaluating Draymond Green Rear-Naked Choke Technique

The Green-Poole incident was one of the most toxic the NBA has seen in recent memory. It’s going to follow both players for the rest of their careers, for better or worse. Green hasn’t quite had the cleanest resume since the incident, either, getting suspended for five games after putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold followed by elbowing Jusuf Nurkic in the face in December.

The Warriors did a solid job infusing talent after losing Klay Thompson this offseason–adding De’Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson. Though Green’s presence will be just as important as it has been in recent seasons if the Warriors have any hopes of making a deep run in a very competitive Western Conference.

***

Subscribe to Vendetta’s Twitch

Subscribe to Vendetta’s YouTube

Check out the Vendetta Shop

Click here for more NBA content