Wizards shooting guard Jordan Poole embraced some of his former teammates before Washington suffered a 129-118 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday.
He was seen hugging and talking to Warriors guards Stephen Curry, Gary Payton II, and others during pregame warmups.
Poole spent the first four years of his NBA career with the Warriors after they selected him with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft before he was traded to the Wizards this offseason as part of the deal that brought Chris Paul to Golden State.
During his first season in Washington, Poole has averaged 17.2 points, 5.4 assists, and 3.0 rebounds, which is slightly below the 20.4 ppg he averaged during his last year in Golden State.
The 24-year-old, who won an NBA Championship with the Warriors in 2022, was able to surpass this year’s average as he tried to put on a show for his former fans and scored 25 points in the loss.
Wizards SG Jordan Poole (L) embraced his former teammates before playing the Warriors
Poole was able to score 25 points during his first return to the Golden State since being traded
Poole was saluted with a pregame video tribute and greeted with a warm ovation from the crowd in San Francisco.
He then hit an 18-foot jumper from the left wing to start the game before being booed each time he went to the free-throw line.
Despite Poole’s addition to the team the Wizards have struggled to find much success throughout the early portions of the season and Friday’s loss put their record at a miserable 5-23.
His efforts were not enough, however, as the Golden State Warriors picked up the victory
There were more hugs after the game as the hapless Wizards were beaten comfortably again
The only two teams that currently have worse records than the Wizards are the Detroit Pistons at 2-26 and the San Antonio Spurs at 4-23.
Golden State on the other was able to move to .500 on the season as the win boosted their record to 14-14.
The Warriors were led by another strong showing from Curry, who ended the game with 30 points, seven assists, and four rebounds.
Klay Thompson and Johnathan Kuminga finished the game scoring 20 and 22 points respectively.
