On an episode of his podcast, Green acknowledged that it was one of the darkest moments of his career, as it eventually led to a failed repeat bid and eventually the end of the Warriors dynasty in the years to come.
Known for his hot temper and physical altercations, the 34-year-old said that the unfortunate brouhaha was what made him into a better leader with the Golden State Warriors.
“One of my biggest failures as a vet was what happened with Jordan Poole,” said Green.
“And it took me to go through that failure with Jordan Poole, who was someone that came in and chose his locker to be next to me because he wanted to learn from me. Was someone that I would spend time with, someone I’d pour into, and I [expletive] it all up.”
Poole was pivotal in Golden State’s run to the title in 2022, finishing with an average of 17 points in the playoffs. But a year after the run-in with Green, it was clear that it was no longer an environment he wanted to be in.
Now with the Washington Wizards, Poole has since flourished in his own right but has struggled to get deep into the postseason with his new team. In 2023, they missed the playoffs altogether.
But as far as Green is concerned, the whole encounter has made him grow — especially on how to handle younger players, like up-and-coming players in Golden State like Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.
After going through the necessary evil of that encounter, Green said that he has since learned to be a better teammate.
“I haven’t felt that miserably at most things in my life,” said Green.
“So that was one of my biggest failures. It taught me a ton. It showed me how to be a better vet for Jonathan Kuminga, how to be a better vet for Moses Moody, but I had to go through that in order to learn,” he added.
Currently, Green is in his 12th season with the Warriors and is averaging 8.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.
