It’s all love for Jordan Poole in the Bay Area.
Poole, preparing to suit up at Chase Center on Friday night for the first time since the Golden State Warriors traded him to the Washington Wizards in July, was welcomed back to San Francisco with a few warm embraces from former teammates.
Warriors star guard Steph Curry gave him a big hug during pregame warm-ups, as did center Kevon Looney, who also grew up in the Milwaukee area.
Steph and JP reunited 🥹 pic.twitter.com/OGEtqD5p8C
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 23, 2023
Jordan Poole reunites with Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II pic.twitter.com/DwwhEJEz4i
— Shayna Rubin (@ShaynaRubin) December 23, 2023
The Warriors also presented Poole with a tribute video before the game. He was met by a rousing applause from the sellout crowd during pregame introductions.
Loud cheers and a tribute video for Jordan Poole when he was introduced tonight at the Chase Center: pic.twitter.com/jfuStl2IVI
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) December 23, 2023
Poole was once viewed as the centerpiece to the Warriors’ future, a following act to the dynastic core of Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. He thrived as a scoring threat off the bench during Golden State’s 2022 championship run and earned a lucrative four-year contract extension in October of that year.
But Poole struggled last season. He was inconsistent as a scorer, a liability on defense and ranked fourth in the league in total turnovers (252).
A few months after their season ended in the Western Conference semifinals, the Warriors sent Poole to Washington as the main piece in their trade for veteran guard Chris Paul.
Poole hasn’t exactly thrived with the Wizards, averaging 17.2 points per game on 41.2% shooting from the field. He seems to go viral every other night for an unfortunate mishap on the court.
But it’s early. The Wizards-Warriors game Friday will only be Poole’s 27th contest in Washington. No matter how it goes, it’s clear Poole’s former teammates want the best for him.
