Fights are inevitable in professional sports. Given the egos of players and the intensity of their profession, it’s not surprising that fights occur between opponents in an actual game or between teammates behind the scenes. It’s not ideal, but these things happen, and most of the time, the people involved put the matter behind them and move on.
Unfortunately for Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors, this wasn’t the case in the punching incident involving star forward Draymond Green and up-and-coming guard Jordan Poole. In October 2022, the two were going at it during practice when suddenly, Dray lunged at Jordan and rocked him with a haymaker.
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Kerr believed he could have successfully mended the two. However, that task eventually proved impossible when footage of the incident was leaked to the public.
The leaked footage made things worse
The 2022 offseason was filled with good vibes and positive energy. The Warriors were back on top of the NBA and were preparing to defend their title. One player who was looking to keep his momentum going was Poole, who played an instrumental role in the Dubs’ NBA Finals win over the Boston Celtics.
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However, all that momentum came to a screeching halt with one fell swing of Draymond’s hand. And while Kerr was confident that his experience as a player and coach in managing these types of situations (he once got punched by Michael Jordan in practice) would help, the leaked footage only added fuel to the fire.
“We had an incident on our team with the Warriors a few years ago where not only was there a fight that made it out to the media,” Kerr said on “The Leadership Playbook.” “But the actual video footage made it online and it destroyed our team.”
With the footage leaving nothing to the imagination, fans, players, and the media immediately pounced on everyone involved, including Kerr and the franchise. At some point, it all became too much to handle for a team that was trying to keep its eyes on defending the prize.
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“I tried my best to handle it. But when the video made it out… the video was much more difficult than the fight itself,” Kerr continued. “And we were trying to repair that all season long, and we never really were able to.”
Poole scored 20.4 points during the 2022-23 campaign, but he ultimately faltered in the postseason, averaging 10.3 points on 34 percent shooting.
In July 2023, he was traded to the Washington Wizards for Chris Paul, ending his short tenure with the Warriors. The trade was seen as a way for Golden State to move on from the incident that had been a dark cloud over the organization in the previous season.
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“So there are things that happen all the time that are so difficult. You do your best, you communicate with the players, you try to mend fences but some things are insurmountable,” Kerr stressed.
Fights happen more frequently than fans think
Kerr admitted that in his estimation, “two or three” fights occur within the team every season. He experienced this firsthand during his time with the Chicago Bulls when the team’s megastar, Michael Jordan, punched him in the face.
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Bulls head coach Phil Jackson handled the matter masterfully. No drama, controversial headlines or footage was leaked to the public.
“The way Phil handled it was very matter-of-fact. He came to us separately. I think he went to Michael and said, ‘You need to apologize to Steve,'” Kerr recalled. “And I went home, and Michael called me and apologized. And, you know, it was fine.”
Friction is an inevitable aspect of team dynamics. Given the diverse personalities within any group, disagreements — or even conflicts — are bound to arise. The coach must navigate these sensitive situations with respect, authority, and empathy. Yet, despite Kerr’s extensive experience, the task of mending the fractured relationship between Draymond and Jordan ultimately proved insurmountable.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 18, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.