Jordan Poole and the Washington Wizards are the laughingstock of the NBA. And after Poole was elbowed in the face on a drive to the hoop by Boston Celtics defender Jrue Holiday on Sunday evening, NBC Sports Boston broadcaster Drew Carter couldn’t help but draw parallels to Poole’s most infamous off-court incident.
After Poole was fouled by Holiday late a in a blowout loss by Washington, the play-by-play man Carter made a reference to the infamous preseason incident between Poole and Golden State Warriors center Draymond Green.
“Let’s just say that’s not the worst shot Jordan Poole has taken to the face,” Carter said. “Not even close.”
NBC Sports Boston's Drew Carter won't let Jordan Poole live down getting punched in the face by Draymond Green pic.twitter.com/MWrDClCcwY
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Not for nothing, game analyst Brian Scalabrine reminded the audience that the difference was this shot from Holiday was not “friendly fire” like the punch from Green was.
During training camp in 2022, Poole allegedly called Green an “expensive backpack” for Warriors star Steph Curry. Given the reported existing tension between the two, Green snapped and socked Poole during a team scrimmage. Footage of the altercation came out via TMZ soon after, and Green was sent away from the team in the lead-up to the regular season.
Both players coexisted throughout the 2022-23 season before Poole was traded to Washington for point guard Chris Paul last summer. Green signed a contract extension before facing another suspension last fall.
Unfortunately for Poole, this is now his reputation in the NBA. Even as far away from the Bay Area as Boston, Poole cannot escape being the guy who got punched by the defensive player of his generation.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.