In Jordan Poole’s first game back at Chase Center, there were a lot of emotions and Steph Curry has reacted to playing against his former teammate for the first time.
“Obviously we have a lot of history and love the dude,” Curry said after the Warriors 129-118 win over the Wizards. “What he brought to our team, we have some good memories, obviously. Glad the fans gave him the response they did. It’s really weird playing against him, but it was fun. I hope he enjoyed the respect and the reception that he got.”
Despite his Wizard’s loss, Poole was a solid contributor as he scored a team-high 25 points, to go with three rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Curry recorded 30 points, four rebounds, seven assists and a block.
The former Warriors guard could be seen laughing and embracing his old teammates before the game and there was a tribute video played before tipoff to honor his four seasons and one championship at Golden State.
“Gave me chills watching [Poole’s] tribute video,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. “It just shows you how fast time really moves when you play pro ball… It was like walking down memory lane.”
Dubs head coach Steve Kerr was also a big fan of the tribute video, after he declared earlier in the week how much he hated the way things ended with Poole.
“It was wonderful. The video and ovation Jordan got to me was the highlight of the game,” Kerr said. “So well deserved for what he did for our organization 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.”
After the game, Poole embraced Kerr and was signing autographs for Golden State fans, who were so happy that they cried.
“That was pretty special,” Poole said. “It kind of 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.”