The NBA world was left stunned last October when Warriors veteran Draymond Green struck young guard Jordan Poole during a preseason practice, with video leaked for the public to see.
And while it never has been revealed what words were exchanged leading up to the punch, Green has addressed a rumor floated earlier this summer on the "It Is What It Is" sports talk show hosted by rappers Cam'ron Giles and Mason 'Ma$e' Betha.
In a June 24 episode that quickly went viral, Giles claimed the altercation began when Poole made comments about Green's contract situation. Green laughed off the "report" during an appearance this week on "The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone."
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"Super entertaining," Green said of "It Is What It Is." "It's hilarious, and I appreciate it and I enjoy what they're doing. I watch it. It's great, so shout out to them.
"[Giles'] dialogue, it obviously wasn't accurate. But ... I don't just hit people. I've been in this league 11 years and I ain't just hit nobody."
Giles had stated Poole told Green, "Don’t worry about it, you’ll be in Sacramento next year," while the Warriors were running sprints, and claimed the 24-year-old asked, "Why is your Twitter handle MoneyGreen when you're broke and you're not going to get a new contract?"
Green didn't divulge what he or Poole actually said, but hinted at the exchange.
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"Dialogue, of course, happens over time. You usually ain’t just triggered by something, that fast to that degree," Green told podcast hosts Pat Beverley of the Philadelphia 76ers and Adam Ferrone. "This is a team. Ain’t nobody on my team triggering me in an instant. Dialogue of course happens over time. ...
"We know stuff that you don’t say amongst men. We know things that you have to stand on. As I’ve admitted before, I was wrong in the way that I handled it -- for the situation and where we were. But, I’m a man at the end of the day and I stand on things. And there are certain things you have to stand on."
(Warning: The content below uses NSFW language)
With Poole traded to the Washington Wizards and Green now accepting a new reality with former rival Chris Paul on Golden State, Dub Nation certainly thought this saga had ended. But Green's podcast appearance brought things up again, with Poole's father even joining the fray.
And while Green's latest comments certainly won't be the last time they hear about the situation, fans might never know the details of that day.
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