During the Golden State Warriors’ reunions, all the key members would typically attend, yet cameras often failed to capture one notable absence: Draymond Green. This unusual occurrence caught the attention of observant fans, who began speculating about why the four-time champion was avoiding the meetings. Now, Green has finally revealed the reasons behind his initial distance and what ultimately led to his change of heart.

His infamous fight with Jordan Poole has a lot to do with the distancing. The 34-year-old has often talked about the lasting effect that the altercation had left on him, but it was nothing compared to the blow he received following the franchise’s assistant coach Dejan Milojevic’s demise in January. “I really distanced myself. And I had to. I needed to. When that incident happened [with Jordan Poole], I just really needed to. So, I really distanced myself. And in doing that, you miss a lot. But once you do that it’s hard to come back,” he said.

“When Deki passed last season, you see all the pictures of everybody and stuff. And I realized, ‘All of the pictures, you’re not in none of them because you got bored with everything else,'” Green told Andscape. “So, all the moments everybody’s enjoying, ‘All right. Got to do this. Got to do that. Got to go get my body ready. Got to do this.’ And you forget to enjoy it. So, then it just turns into the grind. So, for me that was just a big reminder that you are missing the fun part of it.” 

He felt that he got so engrossed in preparing himself for the games that he failed to enjoy the gatherings. “And so, for me that’s an emphasis this year,” Green declared. The tragic demise even made him reflect on his actions which he detailed.

Draymond Green confesses that his actions in the Jordan Poole incident weren’t right

A punch. That’s all it took for the mighty Warriors to break. It all happened during a practice session in 2022. Instigated by teammate Jordan Poole’s remark, Draymond Green landed a punch in his face. And suddenly the wind in the Golden State turned colder. Several things were being written about Green’s unacceptable behavior, so he started distancing himself. Though he felt he did the right thing back then, two years later, he is only filled with regrets.

“So, at that time, that’s what felt right to me. I can’t sit here and tell you that it was right. But what I can tell you is that ain’t the right thing for me personally,” Green opened up to Marc J. Spears. “I’m not a loner by any stretch of the imagination. I don’t know how people do that.”

Following the episode, Poole went to the Washington Wizards, but Green felt uncomfortable returning to his former self. Distancing himself seemed like the only way to make things go. But now that he has realized how unpredictable life can be, he has pledged to turn up to the fun events that he has missed for months.