Jordan Poole talks punch and contract extension from Warriors
Jordan Poole inked a four-year contract extension Sunday that can earn
him up to $140 million.
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 25: Golden State Warriors’
Jordan Poole (3) kisses the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy during
media day at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday,
September 25, 2022. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 25: Golden State Warriors’
Jordan Poole (3) kisses the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy during
media day at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday,
September 25, 2022. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: October 16, 2022 at 4:10 p.m. | UPDATED: October 16, 2022 at
6:41 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/10/16/jordan-poole-talks-draymond-green-punch-contract-extension-with-warriors/

SAN FRANCISCO — Jordan Poole, speaking publicly for the first time since
being punched in the face by Draymond Green, didn’t have much to say
about that Sunday.

“We’re here to win a championship and keep hanging banners,” Poole said.

The 23-year-old wing was much more talkative about his new contract. And
who could blame him? He signed a four-year extension worth $140 million
on Sunday morning.

“It was amazing. It was truly, truly special,” Poole said. “I couldn’t
stop smiling, I really tried to stop smiling but I couldn’t.

Poole has always been a dreamer. He envisioned what it would be like to
play in the fourth quarter and carry his team to victory. He wanted to
be a leader and contend for championships. And that’s why it was even
more special for Poole that he could share this with his family.

“Just all of the hard work from really early on in your life, you go to
different stages — high school, AAU, college. There will be adversity,
you’ve just got to have faith and confidence and self-belief will take
you a very long way. Obviously, you mix that in with hard work and an
open mind and anything is possible.”

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 14: Golden State Warriors’ Jordan
Poole (3) hi-fives Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23) before the
start of their preseason NBA game at the Chase Center in San Francisco,
Calif., on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Coach Steve Kerr wasn’t sure after Poole’s rookie season that the former
No. 28 overall pick would get to this place. Now he wants him to keep going.

“I want him to play big minutes,” Kerr said. “He’s earned this contract.
He’s earned every penny. But I reminded him last year in the playoffs, I
think he played 17 or 18 minutes a game, I want to play him 30, 32
minutes. But that can only happen if he continues his progression as a
player on the defensive end.”

Poole was lost on both ends of the floor in his first NBA season. He
struggled to adjust to the game’s speed and physicality. Then, the
pandemic hit and altered life as we knew it. The NBA would resume later
in the summer in a bubble, which the Warriors found themselves on the
outside looking in.

At this point, most people had already written Poole off. But Poole’s
supreme confidence and laser-sharp focus didn’t waver. Poole was the
first Warriors player in the gym when it reopened amid the pandemic. He
was determined to prove he belonged.

In his second season, Poole would be sent to the G League to polish
every aspect of his game. The demotion admittedly crushed him a little
bit. He didn’t feel like he needed to be there. But he put his head down
and continued to work.

Finally, in Year 3, it clicked for Poole.

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 14: Golden State Warriors’ Jordan
Poole (3) drives to the basket against the Denver Nuggets during the
first quarter of their preseason NBA game at the Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay
Area News Group)

Poole became an offensive force and went from averaging 12 points during
the 2020-21 season to 18.5 points last season. He had only one 30-point
game in his first two NBA seasons, but had 12 last season, including two
in the playoffs.

He was a vital piece and the Warriors’ run for their fourth title in
eight years and is a cornerstone of the Warriors’ future as the dynastic
trio of Stephen Curry, Green and Klay Thompson inevitably age out of
their prime.

Poole was always under the assumption that a deal could be completed
before Monday’s deadline. Leaving the Bay never crossed his mind. It
would “be pretty crazy to want to leave the team that won a
championship,” Poole said. “We got the guys coming back and we’re
excited. We want to do it all over again.”

The feeling was mutual with the Warriors.

Extension talks started two weeks ago when the team returned from Japan.
But a different story — that went viral thanks to a leaked practice
video — hijacked the conversation surrounding Poole.

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 14: Golden State Warriors’
Draymond Green (23) sits next to Golden State Warriors’ Jordan Poole (3)
as he grimaces in pain after landing on his shoulder during the second
quarter of their preseason NBA game at the Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay
Area News Group)

Green punched Poole in the face at practice Oct. 5, resulting in Green
stepping away from the team for a week before returning Thursday.

In the meantime, Poole continued his daily routine, even returning to
the court for a two-hour workout after the punch. He shined in preseason
and looks poised to pick up where he left off last season.

With the ink dried on paper, Poole is looking forward to putting the
off-the-court drama with his contract extension and the Green situation
behind him and focus on basketball. If anything, he said, the deal has
motivated him to work even harder.

“I was already focused on basketball … but now you’re even more locked
in,” he said. “There’s another level you can take it to knowing that
your family is taken care of, friends taken care of, anything that you
needed to do is essentially done other than playing basketball.

“So it feels really good to go out there with a clear mind and go out
there and win another championship with a great group of guys who we got
in the locker room and excited to defend our title.”

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 14: Golden State Warriors’ Jordan
Poole (3) grimaces on the court after falling to the floor during the
second quarter of their preseason NBA game at the Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay
Area News Group)