Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has apologized following a fight with teammate Jordan Poole during a practice this week, according to general manager Bob Myers.
Myers addressed the incident at a press conference Thursday, after news broke about the altercation the day before. The Athletic first reported the fight.
“Everybody’s fine,” Myers told reporters, confirming that Green and Poole had fought. He added that Poole, a shooting guard, attended a team practice Thursday but that Green did not.
“Draymond apologized to the team this morning. Jordan was there in the room, we were — I was there in the room, the team, the coaches, players,” he continued. The general manager also said that any punishment or suspensions would be handled “internally.”
But if the Warriors organization hoped the frenzy surrounding the incident would quietly die down after the press conference, that wish was likely shattered Friday after TMZ published a leaked video of the brawl.
In the footage, which has no audio, Green approaches Poole, who appears to push the forward away from him before Green is seen throwing a punch. The clip quickly made the rounds on Twitter, with many users weighing in on the scuffle.
“He’s gonna have to see me every time after this sucker punch. Damn. That ain’t it!” Isaiah Thomas, who most recently played for the Charlotte Hornets, tweeted Friday. “And whoever leaked this should be fired too.”
Thomas later wrote: “All I’m saying is you ain’t responding with a PUNCH if that’s somebody you really rock with!!! Especially after a PUSH.
“But I ain’t in the practice and I didn’t hear what was being said so ima leave that alone but DAMN.”
When asked about possible tensions within the team, Myers said Thursday that he didn’t see any “lingering awkwardness.”
“I’ve been on teams where people have fought. I’ve been in gyms where there’s been fighting,” he said. “No one likes that, but every team has moved past that. I’ve never seen it ruin a team.”
Green has faced discipline from the Warriors and the NBA in the past.
In 2018, he received a one-game suspension after an infamous altercation with then-teammate Kevin Durant. The two were seen engaging in an argument on the bench at a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. The exchange reportedly continued into the locker room, leading to the Warriors’ decision to suspend the veteran player.