The NBA world can't agree on whether punching a teammate — as the Warriors' Draymond Green did — is normal

• The NBA world can't agree on whether physical fights at practices are common after Draymond Green punched Jordan Poole.
• Some current and former players say they happen all the time, while others said they've never seen a punch like Green's.

To some in the sports world, Draymond Green punching his teammate Jordan Poole during a Golden State Warriors practice was a shocking, violent act. To others, it was typical of life in the NBA.

In the wake of Green's actions — video of which was leaked to TMZ, escalating the drama around the incident — voices from around the NBA have weighed in.

While all agree it was wrong (and made worse by the fact that it could be seen), there's been very little consensus on how often this happens in the NBA.

"This happens literally all the time," NBA Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Reggie Miller said on a media call last week. "I cannot tell you how many fights with teammates I've gotten into."

However, many fans and analysts were surprised by the apparent malice in Green's punch.

In the video, Green can be seen walking up to Poole and exchanging words. When Poole shoved Green backward, Green responded with a big swing, throwing his whole body into it. Green didn't seem to fully connect with Poole, and it was quickly broken up by teammates and coaches.

The Warriors fined Green, and he spent time away from the team, but he wasn't officially suspended. The 10-year NBA vet has since re-joined the team.

Former NBA forward and ESPN analyst Richard Jefferson, meanwhile, wasn't surprised by the video.

"When I heard about the punch, this is what I expected ... The video doesn't surprise me because I've seen these types of practices," Jefferson said on "NBA Today."

Indeed, NBA reporter Marc Stein wrote on his Substack that while practice fights might not be as common as they used to be, several coaches and players told him, "They still happen far more often than we usually end up hearing on the outside."

Are fights becoming a thing of the past?

Many current players, however, were shocked by Green's punch and felt it was far from normal.

Kevin Durant — who famously got into an on-court, verbal spat with Green while on the Warriors — said he'd never seen anything like it.

"I heard people say that that happens a lot in the NBA. I had never seen nothing like that before," Durant told reporters of the punch.

"But what me and Draymond did a few years back, that shit happens all the time. So it's easy to get through something like that, but I don't know what this situation is like."

He added: "It's rare. I've been in the league 16 years, and I've never seen that until the other day on camera."

New York Knicks guard Evan Fournier tweeted that he didn't think a punch like Green's could ever be forgiven.

Former NBA guard and The Ringer podcast host Raja Bell said he had been in fights before, but even at his angriest, he had never tried to punch someone the way Green did.

Indeed, Steve Kerr, who famously got into a fight with Michael Jordan while on the Chicago Bulls, said in 2020 that fights aren't as common today because practices aren't as intense.

"It has to be understood in the context of intense competition," Kerr said on TNT. "One thing that was more prevalent back then than now was the intensity of practices versus now. I think we're smarter now with preserving our players. We don't have as many practice days. It's more about rest and recovery. They were a huge part of the Bulls and Michael setting a standard for our play. There were practice fights on every [NBA] team that I played on."

The video makes a difference

Nearly every player or former player who has weighed in on the incident has condemned the video of Green's punch leaking to TMZ.

Kerr was furious about it, and the Warriors are investigating the source of the leak.

Still, seeing Green's punch changed the perception around the incident, perhaps because most practice fights are never even seen.

Practice fights aren't unheard of. The most noteworthy recent incident came between Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis on the Bulls in 2017. The two got in a shoving match during a scrimmage, and Portis eventually connected on a punch, fracturing a bone in Mirotic's face. Portis was suspended for eight games, and though he and Mirotic did play together that season, Mirotic was eventually traded.

The fight between Kerr and Jordan is perhaps the most famous in NBA lore. Kerr elbowed Jordan in the chest because Jordan was playing too physically during a practice. Jordan responded by punching Kerr, and a small fight ensued. Kerr has said that the fight actually helped the two players bond, as Jordan respected Kerr for sticking up for himself.

Green has publicly and privately apologized for the incident. And on Sunday, Poole addressed the punch for the first time, saying he was ready to move on and pursue a championship alongside Green.

Perhaps Poole is comfortable moving on because he recently signed a $140 million extension, while Green did not get an extension.