When New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Poole took time out to speak to some kids recently, he couldn’t have imagined that one of them would bring up a painful memory. As Poole asked one child whether he had seen him play for the Golden State Warriors, he was asked about the infamous Draymond Green punch.
Kid: “But how did you feel when Draymond punched you?”
Jordan Poole: “It’s tough bro…”
A little kid to Jordan Poole:
“How did it feel when Draymond punched you?”
😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/NMOh1B1y6H
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) January 23, 2026
Nothing was quite the same after Green punched Poole during a Warriors practice on Oct. 5, 2022. They had just helped the team win the 2022 NBA championship months ago, and this incident meant the title defense got off to a woeful start before the action even began.
It still hasn’t been confirmed what exactly Poole said to get punched. Green did say, “You can’t call a man the b-word and push him and not get hit either,” so that was part of it.
The punch ensured the Warriors’ locker room wasn’t anywhere near as united as it had been in years past. They would fall well short of achieving their goal of winning back-to-back titles, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the Western Conference Semifinals in 2023.
Green felt his punch killed the Warriors’ chances of defending the title. It was clear that one of these two had to go, and the team traded Poole to the Washington Wizards in July 2023. The guard hasn’t said much about the punch since then, but Green has. He once called the incident one of his biggest failures. It definitely was.
While Green has expressed regret on multiple occasions over the years, he has also made it clear that he feels it is time to move on. That hasn’t stopped him from bringing up his former teammate’s name on a recent episode of his podcast, though.
On The Draymond Green Show, Green blasted Poole for his reaction to the Mark Williams-Jose Alvarado fight. That seemed a bit much.
We’ll potentially get to see these two face off in about a month when the Pelicans take on the Warriors on Feb. 24. The teams have met twice already this season, but Poole missed both of those games due to injury. He has been healthy lately, but isn’t having the best of seasons.
Poole is averaging 14.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Pelicans in 2025-26, while shooting 37.3% from the field. The 26-year-old had impressed in his final season with the Wizards, averaging 20.5 points on 43.2% shooting from the field in 2024-25, but has taken a step back now.
We’ll see Poole in action next against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum on Friday at 8 PM ET.
