The Warriors have reportedly opened an investigation after TMZ Sports published a leaked video Friday morning showing an altercation between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole during a recent practice.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Golden State took immediate action in the wake of the leak, and has already begun investigating how TMZ obtained a video of the incident. He also noted figuring out the source of the leak is a “priority” for the organization going forward. A team spokesman confirmed the investigation to The New York Times.
“They launched an investigation immediately,” Wojnarowski said on NBA Today. “Obviously, they’re not happy that that video got out of their practice facility and they’re trying to figure out where it came from and how it got out.”
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ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne added that the franchise is taking “every legal course of action” to find out how the video was leaked to TMZ.
News of the Warriors’ plan to investigate was first reported by Melissa Rohlin of FOX Sports.
The shocking clip shows the moment the teammates engaged a heated exchange during a pause in play, leading to Poole pushing Green before the All-Star forward punched him in the face in retaliation.
Friday’s leak followed a Wednesday report from The Athletic detailing the physical confrontation and the team weighing the decision to discipline Green for his actions. However, the Warriors appeared to no longer be considering an on-court punishment after general manager Bob Myers said Thursday he didn’t anticipate Green missing any games. Warriors coach Steve Kerr later told ESPN’s Kendra Andrews that he expected the four-time NBA champion to rejoin the team on Saturday.
According to a report by Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, the explosive confrontation stems from simmering tension between Poole and his teammates over the summer after players noticed a change in the guard’s behavior amid talks of a potential big contract extension. Warriors veterans Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala have since pushed back on Haynes’s report, while Myers has denied that the incident had anything to do with anything contract-related.
Green, 32, and Poole, 23, played pivotal roles for the Warriors last season in their run to winning the NBA championship, Golden State’s fourth since 2015. Poole, who emerged with a breakout performance in the postseason, is on the final year of his rookie contract, while Green has two years left on a four-year, $100 million contract he signed in 2019.
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