“The pecking order for the Golden State is Steph, Klay, Draymond, that's the top 3” – Shaquille O’Neal speculates Jordan Poole being too cocky with Draymond Green after winning a championship

Draymond Green made headlines prior to the start of the NBA season by punching Jordan Poole in the face. Soon after, a video of the incident was released by TMZ. The video showed Poole shoving Green before the four-time NBA champion then punched him.

In the aftermath of the altercation, many speculated as to whether contract negotiations between Poole and the Warriors were to blame. Many were quick to jump to the conclusion that Poole had become cocky in the months following the team's NBA Finals win.

With that said, Steph Curry was quick to refute those rumors, asserting that Poole's attitude hadn't changed during negotiations.

Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal doesn't believe that is the case. During a recent episode of "The Big Podcast," O'Neal weighed in on the situation:

"I don't know what happened, I'm gonna speculate. The pecking order for the Golden State is Steph, Klay, Draymond, that's it. That's the top 3.

"Now when you win a championship and you're a soldier, but you're a vital part of winning a championship. You coming next year with the big old glasses, you coming with the convertible, you start feeling yourself."

Shaquille O'Neal continued:

"So, when you come in running your mouth, you got to get checked and in my 19 years, I checked a lot of players.

"So, again, when I talk, I try to speak from facts. I don't try to hurt people's feelings or jump on people. Because what these players don't understand is y'all ain't done nothing that the Diesel ain't do ever."

The aftermath of the Draymond Green-Jordan Poole altercation

Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors, Game 5.

In the wake of the altercation, many speculated that Draymond Green would likely receive some sort of suspension. Many began to question whether or not the team would look to trade him. He has a player option for the 2023-24 season.

Despite that, the team opted to just fine Draymond Green for his role in the scuffle. The defensive floor general apologized to both team members and Poole. As the season kicked off, the two appeared to be on the same page, single-mindedly focused on winning another NBA championship.

Throughout the first two games of the season, the defending champions looked to seemingly put the beef behind them. After a 1-1 start, fans are hopeful that the team has moved past the incident.