Wizards' Poole moved by 'special' reception on Golden State return
Harry Carr
December 23, 2023 00:31 MYT
December 23, 2023 00:31 MYT
Jordan Poole hailed the Golden State Warriors for the "special" reception he received on his return to Chase Center with the Washington Wizards on Friday.
Poole, a member of the Warriors' 2022 Championship-winning team, was back in San Francisco for the first time since being traded in July, scoring 25 points in his team's 129-118 loss.
The 24-year-old was greeted with a pre-game video tribute and received a standing ovation from the fans in attendance, then stayed behind to sign autographs for supporters after the game.
While Poole was unable to guide his new team to victory as Stephen Curry's 30-point haul helped the Warriors improve to 14-14, the fifth-year guard will look back on his return fondly.
"That was pretty special," he told reporters after sharing an embrace with Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
"It shows my impact that I've had here, which is really cool, especially starting off my career early at the highest level, winning a championship, I played with a lot of Hall of Famers.
"But I really embraced myself with Dub Nation, submerged myself with them throughout my tenure here. It was pretty special to see that I got the love back."
From Milwaukee to NBA champions. Kevon Jordan pic.twitter.com/EY7hsIEW5D — Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 23, 2023
An error occurred while retrieving the Tweet. It might have been deleted.
Asked about the pre-game tribute to Poole, Kerr said: "It was wonderful. The video and ovation Jordan got, to me, was the highlight of the game.
"So well deserved for what he did for our organisation and for our fans and players and coaches, just the work that he put in and obviously becoming a key member of the championship team.
"Jordan deserved that ovation. It was wonderful to see."
The Wizards are 5-23 following their ninth loss in the space of 11 games. They sit 14th in the Eastern Conference, above only the Detroit Pistons, who have lost 25 games in a row.