It’s known that former Golden State Warriors teammates Jordan Poole and Draymond Green doesn’t see eye-to-eye with one another. But what many may not know is that Portland Trailblazers star Damian Lillard isn’t fond of Poole either.
Recently Lillard’s 2022 appearance on “The Colin Cowherd Podcast” has resurfaced with him saying he doesn’t like Poole. Coincidentally, Lillard and Green are close friends. Lillard reportedly asked for the Blazers to go after Green this summer in free agency.
Lillard also eyed requesting a trade to the Warriors in large to team with Green.
Lillard told Cowherd his dislike for Poole stems from the youngster trash-talking the seven-time All-Star out of the blue.
“I really didn’t pay attention to him until maybe like two years ago,” Lillard said, per Aikansh Chaudhary of Fadeaway World. “We played against Golden State, and Steph was hurt, Draymond was hurt. We [were] playing against them, and he wasn’t playing a lot of minutes, but he like did a move, and he like scored on me. He hit a shot, he hit a three, and he started talking [expletive]. And I was like, ‘I don’t talk [expletive]. I don’t say nothing, I just play. If somebody say something to me, I’ll say something back, but whatever.”
The game Lillard is referencing is back on Nov. 4, 2019. Curry was out with a broken hand. Lillard scored 39 points in a losing effort. According to Lillard, Poole was giving him verbal business throughout the game.
“He said something, so I looked back, like what? I think I had like 40, but we lost at Golden State. Towards the end of the first half or whatever, I’m at the free throw line, and he’s just back there talking. So I turn to him, and I’m like, ‘Man, shut the [expletive], like shut up. He was like, ‘Make me.’ So, my natural instinct was like, ‘Bro, I train in combat. I’m from Oakland. That was my natural. So, we start going back and forth.”
Lillard didn’t forget about the moment. Although the two teams played against in December that season, a Blazers win with Lillard scoring 31 points with 13 assists, he felt he exacted his revenge when he faced the Warriors on Martin Luther King Day that January.
“And then, like shortly after, we played them on MLK Day in Portland,” Lillard added. “And he was on the bench, and I started the game real slow. He’s on the bench, and he says, ‘Oh, he ain’t on [expletive] tonight.’ So I turn and look at him. Draymond is sitting next to him, and me and Draymond is real cool. In that game, I end up scoring 60 points, and we beat them in Portland, and I just remember telling Draymond, ‘Man, I don’t mess with that dude like that, like I don’t like him.'”
Lillard scored a then-career-high and Trailblazers-record 61 points in the overtime win. He has since shattered both milestones with his 71-point performance this past season.
Poole was an unknown rookie back then, trying to find his way. He blossomed into a key player since, breaking out during the Warriors run to an NBA championship in 2022. This past season he averaged a career-high 20.4 points.
However, he appeared to wear out his welcome in Golden State. He is now a member of the Washington Wizards, looking to carve out his own path after getting traded for Chris Paul. Meanwhile, Lillard is looking to get traded as well. He recently requested a move from Portland and looking to land with the Miami Heat.
With the revelation of Lillard not liking Poole surfacing, all eyes may be the next time the two are on the court against each other.
