Updated 10/12 10:20 a.m. ET: Following the Warriors victory over the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, coach Steve Kerr said Draymond Green hasn’t been suspended and will play later this week.
Per ESPN, Kerr said that Green has only been fined for his actions, and that his absence from the team recently was his own choice. "This is the biggest crisis that we've had since I've been the coach here," Kerr said. "It's really serious stuff. We're not perfect. ... But we're going to lean on the experience that we have together and trust that this is the best decision for our team. We have a lot of work to do. All of us."
Kerr added that Jordan Poole, and other players from the team, were consulted when the Warriors were making a decision about what penalties Green would face for his actions. He said that Poole is “willing to move forward and willing to get back out on the floor with Draymond and go to work.” While he’s disappointed in Green, Kerr ultimately decided to give him “the benefit of the doubt because I think he’s earned that.”
Updated 10/8, 2:54 p.m. ET: Green is going to take time off from the team, we can now confirm, though he has not said how much time that will be. He says the time will be needed for his team to heal.
UPDATED 10/8, 11:30 a.m. ET: More information has surfaced via TMZ that Draymond Green called Jordan Poole a bitch multiple times.
UPDATED 10/7, 10 a.m. ET: Footage of the altercation between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole has surfaced via TMZ.
In the clip, Green walks up to Poole at practice and gets in his face. Poole shoves him away, and Dray throws a fist at his face. The rest of the team then rushes in to split up the fight.
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Draymond Green is reportedly facing disciplinary action over a physical altercation with Jordan Poole.
According to the Athletic, the incident took place Wednesday morning during the Golden State Warriors’ practice. Though it’s unclear what led up to the alleged heated exchange, sources told the outlet Green and Poole went chest-to-chest while pushing and shoving each other.
Green is said to have escalated the situation when he “forcibly struck” his teammate. The two were “separated swiftly” and practice was paused.
The report—penned by Shams Charania, Marcus Thompson II, and Anthony Slater—says the team’s management attempted to cool the situation in the locker room, but they believe “a line was crossed” and “internal discipline is imminent.” At this time, there have been no reported injuries in connection to the alleged incident. The Warriors have yet to comment on the report.
This isn’t the first time Green has beefed with a teammate. In 2018, he was hit with a one-game suspension over an altercation with Kevin Durant on the bench. A similar incident went down just a few years later, when Green and Poole were filmed arguing on the sideline during Golden State’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Weeks later, Poole spoke about playing alongside Green and how he learned to accept his passionate—and sometimes confrontational—nature.
“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,” Poole told NBC Sports Bay Area. “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.”
Golden State will kick off their regular season against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 18. The game will be preceded by a special ceremony in which the Warriors will receive their 2022 NBA Championship rings.
