NBA News: Kevin Durant gets real on the Jordan Poole altercation

Everybody around the NBA has had something to say about Draymond Green’s fight with Jordan Poole. Regardless of what Poole said, it’s unacceptable to punch a teammate in the face.

That’s not the first time something like this has happened. Michael Jordan infamously punched Steve Kerr during a scrimmage, and Bobby Portis literally sent Nikola Mirotic to the hospital during practice.

However, this it not something that happens every day in the league. That’s why Kevin Durant— who also got into it with Green when they were teammates— wanted to share his thoughts on the situation.

NBA News: Kevin Durant Shares His Thoughts On Draymond Green’s Fight With Jordan Poole

(Via ESPN)

“It’s rare. It’s rare. I’ve been in the league 16 years, and I’ve never seen that until the other day on camera,” Durant said. “You hear about it with MJ and you hear about it with Bobby Portis, but there’s nothing that’s happening every year. It’s very rare that something like that happens. It’s none of our business. But it happened to be part of our daily conversation because we’ve seen the videos. We’ve all got our opinions, but to be honest, mine’s don’t matter. It is what it is.”

“The No. 1 thing is protect yourself at all times,” Durant added. “But as a teammate for Jordan — he’s a good kid — we don’t expect things like that to happen. And when you see something like that, you feel for a brother because it’s like that feeling of empathy of ‘If I’m in that moment, what do I do?’ And we don’t know because we’re not Jordan, we’re not Draymond. I pray that Draymond gets what he needs and JP comes back and stays focused and doesn’t allow anything to distract him.”

At the end of the day, this season will be a test to both of the players’ characters and how they respond to the pressure and the narratives. Hopefully, they’ll both be able to bury the hatchet and put this in the rearview mirror.