How JP’s perspective outweighs holding grudge on Draymond punch originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SAN FRANCISCO – A heartbreaking tale of Milwaukee can be found on its running tally of homicides. The count was at 184 on Sunday, including a recent shooting of a 12-year-old girl for, according to her injured mother, staring at a group of masked teenage boys.
The murder total in Milwaukee reached a record 193 last year, surpassing the previous high of 190 in 2020.
These stark statistics carry weight and might help explain why Jordan Poole seems relatively unruffled in the aftermath of being punched by a teammate. The Warriors’ Sixth Man has experienced and probably felt much more traumatic acts.
“I’m from Milwaukee, Wisconsin,” Poole said Sunday. “And a lot of us, if any of us, we don’t make it to the league.”
This was said hours after Poole signed a four-year contract extension that could be worth up to $140 million dollars, with about 12 percent of the total available through incentives.
This also was Poole’s his first public comment since Oct. 5, when a practice squabble with Draymond Green escalated a chest-to-chest confrontation, leading to a shove from Poole. Draymond responded with a punch to Jordan’s face. The incident, discussed for a solid week, was greatly amplified by the leaking of a video revealing the extent of the violence.
Though Poole is nine years younger, three inches shorter and about 30 pounds lighter, he came away unmarked. Within minutes, with Draymond removed from the floor, JP was back to his usual routine, shooting jumpers until his arms begged him to stop.
This is a guy who entered Rufus King High School determined to play quarterback despite being 5-foot-7, 140 pounds. When coaches directed him to wide receiver, he began focusing on basketball.
Poole, 23, is a cat lover that wears short shorts but whose external appearance – gentle voice, dewy eyes, slender build, cocoa-butter skin – is utterly deceiving. He’s equal parts grit and temerity, with a fortitude cultivated in the Midwest, in Milwaukee, where winters are wicked, and the streets can be malevolent.
Pack your toughness under your overcoat because the work must be done, regardless of climate or surroundings. Don’t complain about either because your wasted energy forces everyone else to work harder.
Poole’s Warriors teammate, Kevon Looney, also is from Milwaukee and brings much the same disposition. Rookie Patrick Baldwin Jr. is the third Milwaukee guy on the team Warriors. There are signs of the same disposition.
Poole mentions Tyler Herro of the Heat and Alondes “Man-Man” Williams of the Nets as two other NBA players from Milwaukee. There’s no crying during basketball games on frozen playgrounds. Appreciate getting home.
“You have so many people who, all we wanted to do was just make it out,” Poole said of his hometown. “There was nothing else that you could focus on other than making it out. Apply yourself. Do what you’ve got to do. Put yourself in a situation to play the game of basketball. It’s something that we love.
“Once you put your mind to it there’s nothing that can knock you off that course. Just have laser focus.”
Jordan’s father, Anthony, a UPS supervisor, told me earlier this year that his son always was relentless about chasing goals. And, moreover, he wasn’t the type to reach for even the most convenient excuses.
“Jordan would go out in the cold and play,” Anthony Poole said. “Sometimes, if there was snow, he’d have his little shovel and would shovel an area and go out and shoot.”
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This mentality surely sheds light on Poole’s work ethic, which has become legend. When coach Steve Kerr griped about Jordan’s defense, he headed for the gym. When Kerr raved about Jordan’s offense, he headed for the gym. If the gym key is missing, the first call should be to Jordan.
For as demonstrative as Poole can be on the court, there’s an inner stoicism that conceals his broad perspective. He breaks problems into pieces, the easier for them to be solved.
Of the incident with Green, Poole issued an 18-second statement:
“He apologized. We’re professionals. We plan on handling ourselves that way. We’re going to play basketball. Everybody in the locker room and on our team knows what it takes to win a championship. And we’re going to do that on the court. We’re here to win a championship and keep hanging banners.”
It wasn’t that Poole didn’t elaborate on the events of 11 days ago. He did, when asked. But he did not dwell, and there was no sign of anger.
Poole takes a narrow view to basketball but a wide view to life. He is blessed with gifts to play a game that pays millions. He works feverishly to polish those gifts. He is building a very nice life for himself and those he loves.
So, there are no excuses. No time for grudges. That’s a losing game. Milwaukee has made him aware of how much can be lost.
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