With an 8-25 record, nobody expected the New Orleans Pelicans to cause an upset against the Phoenix Suns. Yet the match became a talking point due to an altercation between the Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado and the Suns center Mark Williams. But it was Jordan Poole’s reaction that stole the limelight, and the fans were quick to enjoy it since the 26-year-old knows a thing or two about taking it on the chin.

With 2:06 left in the third quarter, Alvarado was called for a foul for running into Williams on a screen. But the Suns center did not appreciate the foul and pushed his opponent. Just like that, a fight broke out, and Alvarado landed a quick hook shot, catching Williams flush.

Despite his teammate attacking somebody, Jordan Poole had both his eyebrows raised, and the netizens attributed it to his infamous fight with Draymond Green. “Deja vu”.

After winning the championship in 2022, the Warriors were expected to win again. But they got off on the wrong foot. TMZ leaked a video from a preseason practice in October 2022, where Green punched Poole. It escalated after verbal jabs between the two, and it led to Poole’s trade from the Golden State Warriors.

While Green apologized and claimed he shouldn’t have, he felt provoked by Poole’s comments and actions. It’s been three years, but their conflict remains a significant talking point in the NBA.

Even the head coach, Steve Kerr, called it his angriest moment with Draymond Green. He also stated how it destroyed the team. “It destroyed our team. I tried my best to handle it, the video was much more difficult than the fight itself.”

The Warriors fined Green, and he voluntarily left the team for a stretch but did not miss any games or face any discipline from the league. Even though it’s been three years, the veteran Green had previously publicly apologized to Poole and his family. Even this year, he apologized earlier in January.

Poole was on the Wizards team when they faced the Warriors. He received a great reception from the fans at the Chase Center, and some of them even wore JP3 jerseys.

Naturally, the 26-year-old spoke about his love for the former team, but with a caveat. Poole said he loves “most of those guys over there”. This caught everyone’s attention, including his former teammate.

Green posted a tweet in response to Jordan Poole’s comments that read, “I really am sorry.” Although he apologized, the 4x NBA champion did point fingers at Poole’s behavior. “We’ve moved on. I really am sorry. That statement [by Poole] was kind of like it was looking for some sympathy,” he said on the Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis. 

Despite the incident, Poole had his best year in the Golden State, averaging 20.4 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.7 rebounds. However, his Warriors tenure ended in 2023 via trade, and he spent two years with the Wizards before being dealt to the New Orleans Pelicans in July.

Heading into Saturday’s action, Poole had been averaging 17.2 points (37 percent from the field, 28 percent from three), 3.5 assists, and 1.9 rebounds. Yet, the infamous punch always comes to attention first.

Jordan Poole’s peculiar reaction wins the night

Although both players claim to move, the tension between the two still lingers. In September, Jordan Poole seemingly liked an Instagram reel in which Green was being roasted for his play in a scrimmage.

This was during off-season training, where the Warriors’ superstar airballed a couple of times in that clip and even missed an uncontested layup. So there is tension. And a fan pointed it out by attaching a GIF of the punch and wrote, “Bro got ptsd 😭”.

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Even Draymond Green had an issue with Poole. Less than 24 hours after arriving for his China tour, he attempted a dunk against a fan wearing a Jordan Poole jersey. The shot missed, but the moment didn’t miss its mark.

Green playfully shoved the fan, slipped him into a mock chokehold, and finished with a hug, sending the crowd into laughter and the clip viral on X. Naturally, a netizen tagged the 35-year-old to bring this to his attention. “@Money23Green Flash Backs….”

But the veteran knows who holds the guilt for not being a good leader. “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,” Green told Penny Hardaway earlier this year. ” [He] was someone that I would spend time with and that I would pour into, and I [f—–] it all up.”

While this was a serious issue, the fans are looking at it from a different side. One even expressed, “Jordan Poole was like I should’ve done that to draymond”. On the other hand, a fan came in Green’s support and argued about the punishment that Alvarado deserved. “Any bet on weather Joes Alvarado will get any suspension for this? Draymond Green got a 12 game suspension for less! @Suns @NBA #SunsUp .”

Green received a five-game suspension for putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold in the 2023 season.

Then he was suspended indefinitely for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face, ultimately missing 12 games. During that period, he underwent mandatory counseling and participated in Zoom check-in calls.

Green even told ESPN that it helped him become a “different” player and had been assisted by two therapists and a sports psychologist. While the players have moved on, their legacies will forever be linked to this moment.