The quick answer is: Jordan Poole has won 1 NBA championship ring with the Golden State Warriors during the 2021-2022 season.
For most professional athletes, nothing is more important than winning a championship. A ring isn’t just a legacy symbol, it’s also a testament to all of the hard work they put into training and getting ready for the regular season. They are also extremely difficult to get.
There have been many great NBA players who, despite their hall of fame career, never won the last game of the season. Jordan Poole is not one of them. The following guide will study his rise to the top of the NBA, how he managed to earn jewelry, and what it means to get the big one.
Two Years to Glory
Every NBA player has a different journey. Some only stick around for a few years, while others keep playing for decades. On top of that, a good number of athletes explode right out of the gate, and plenty take time to get going.
In Poole’s case, he needed time to adapt. The deep shooter was a late first-round draft pick (28th overall) who signed a solid rookie scale contract with the Warriors in 2019. However, even with his strong talent, he had some large growing pains.
The Warriors put him in the G-League during the first half of his rookie year. When he came back, he showed a good amount of potential but couldn’t seem to get over the hill. He averaged a mere 8/2/2 statline in 2019.
Though most were not impressed by that start, Poole got a huge opportunity when Klay Thompson went down and missed the 2020 season. Spending much more time on the court, he learned how to play in the NBA and expanded by stretching his game and shooting more.
The result was bumping up to twelve points a contest. He could score pretty well and had a decent shot. Still, the Warriors were a struggling team that didn’t have a place for him. That changed in 2021.
All That Glitters
Though the 2010 Warriors were one of the strongest dynasties in NBA history, Poole missed that boat. He was drafted by a slumping team who would go on to struggle in his first two seasons. In 2021, with a rejuvenated Klay Thompson, they came back with a vengeance.
The Warriors, back at full strength, became a force once more. Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson were a formidable lineup that almost no one could stop. There were too many people to guard, which opened up plenty of opportunities for Poole.
He became a key player, going up to nearly 20 points a game, and added yet another threat to an already stacked team. Golden State returned to its former glory without much resistance and won the championship. That got Poole a ring and cemented him as a true all star.
Chasing Down Glory
Poole’s 2021 season was impressive from a statistical point of view, but the ring was even more impressive. Few athletes ever get one, and the ones that do rarely earn one so early on in their career. He put up with two tough seasons, and was then rewarded.
The jewelry puts him ahead of many greats, including John Stockton, Steve Nash, and Charles Barkley. It’s also a huge monkey off of his back. For most players, getting a ring is an extremely difficult task. Now that Poole has one, he doesn’t have that pressure.
He can just play and continue to enjoy being on a team with so many other greats.
Final Words
Poole may only have one ring, but that’s more than most people to ever set foot on an NBA court. He was a key part of that run, and helped the Warriors get back to their former glory. There’s no telling how many more he might get.
