Before the match welcoming Jordan Poole back to Chase Center to face the Golden State Warriors, coach Steve Kerr shared about his former student born in 1999.
Saturday (December 23) will be a notable day for Golden State Warriors fans. Jordan Poole will join the Washington Wizards as a guest at Golden State’s stadium.
This is the first time Poole has faced his old team since being traded to the Washington Wizards, and is also the first time in his career he has entered the Chase Center arena as an opponent of the Warriors.
Once selected by the Golden State Warriors at the 2019 NBA Draft, Jordan Poole stayed with the club for 4 years, winning the championship once before moving to the Washington Wizards.
Before the unexpected farewell last summer – being traded by the Golden State Warriors to the Wizards in exchange for Chris Paul, Jordan Poole was still an important member of the club.
He contributed greatly to the Warriors’ journey to the throne in the 2021-22 season, at times becoming the team’s best scoring option next to Stephen Curry. Everything was fine… until the 1999-born player got into a training ground drama with Draymond Green.
Despite receiving a $128 million contract extension just 2 weeks after receiving a full punch from his senior on the team, Jordan Poole’s journey with the Warriors seems to have ended.
Jordan Poole was punched in the face by Draymond Green during a Warriors practice session ahead of the 2022-23 seasonMAYBE YOU ARE INTERESTED
Video of Draymond Green punching teammate Jordan Poole in the face shocked many Warriors players
Head coach Steve Kerr said the collision between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole brought “the darkest crisis he and the team have had to go through”.
The shadow of this drama covered the Golden State locker room throughout the season, directly affecting the performance of the entire team. Even training sessions sometimes don’t go as usual.
Finally, last July, Draymond Green’s contract was extended by Golden State for another 4 years with a total value of 100 million USD. A few weeks later, the transfer blockbuster exploded when Jordan Poole was traded to Washington.
Jordan Poole in the Washington Wizards shirt during a photo session with the new team
“To this day, I still regret the way things ended ,” Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said about Jordan Poole’s final season.
“It happens often that teams and players go their separate ways. But in Jordan’s case, I still wish it had happened more positively and happily for both sides.”
In the eyes of the Warriors coaching staff, led by coach Steve Kerr and the team, there is no animosity or resentment towards Jordan Poole.
The Warriors captain added: “As his first time returning to Chase Center, I think this is a suitable occasion to send a sincere thank you to Jordan. He has made great contributions to this club, especially in the 2022 championship season.
Without Jordan, we wouldn’t have lifted the trophy. Anyone on the team and the fans can confirm that. So I hope for a warm welcome for Jordan when he returns here.”
Coach Steve Kerr regrets the way the Golden State Warriors and Jordan Poole “went their separate ways”
Since being traded to the Washington Wizards, both Jordan Poole and the Golden State Warriors are having their own problems.
Golden State’s form has been quite shaky in the first 8 weeks of the Regular Season, plus the distraction of Draymond Green’s two suspensions. However, the Warriors are showing signs of revival in the past week.
The Golden Gate football team is having 3 consecutive victories thanks to Stephen Curry’s moments of genius, plus a slight adjustment in tactics and personnel by coach Steve Kerr around the duo Klay Thompson – Andrew Wiggins.