Damian Lillard Reveals Truth About Beef With Jordan Poole

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There has been a narrative for a few seasons that Damian Lillard has beef with Jordan Poole, but the Portland Trail Blazers star recently revealed the truth about that perception. Appearing on the It Is What It Is podcast, Lillard told the story about when he and Poole faced off during a Trail Blazers vs. Golden State Warriors game.
"What happened was - I think it was his rookie year, maybe. Jordan Poole - I think Steph [Curry] was hurt, their whole team was hurt, so it was a bunch of young dudes on the court. We're playing them, [Poole] did a little step-back, he hit a three on me," Lillard said.
Lillard added that Poole started talking trash after hitting the three on him, and continued once Lillard was at the free throw line later in the game.
"I turned around like, man shut up," Lillard said. "... He was like, 'You shut me up.' He was on that. So then I felt like it turned into that, so I felt like something gotta happen. So that's kinda where I took it. We both started talking, so I just started talking to him crazy."
Lillard said he didn't really like Poole at first because of this interaction, but actually became a fan of his game once he started following him more closely. According to Lillard, he said this on the record once before, but the clip that went viral was cut off after Lillard said he didn't like Poole at first. Setting the record straight, Lillard said he has no problem with the former Warriors guard.
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Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.
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