MILWAUKEE — Jordan Poole is a Milwaukee native making a name for himself with the Golden State Warriors.
On the cuffs of reaching his first NBA Finals before turning 23-years-old in June, no one is less surprised by this success than mom and dad.
"I always knew he was going to be here. I always knew, someway, somehow, that he was going to be here," says Anthony Poole, Jordan's father, and former AAU coach.
Monet and Anthony Poole have had a front-row seat to the "Poole Party" since day one.
"We get into the gym and he hits a three-pointer. I'm thinking yeah, good job. But then four three-pointers in, I'm like this is crazy. This was the first year he played organized basketball," says Monet, Jordan's mother.
According to them, from Rufus King to Michigan, Jordan's passion for the game has never wavered.
"He will work all day in the gym. I mean, personally growing up, he's like 'dad, can we go to the gym and work out?' And we would be there two hours a night or three hours a night. He will stay in the gym and he's a perfectionist when he wants to work on his craft. So, seeing him there now, yeah," says Anthony.
Which made it an easy decision when Jordan wanted to take the next step.
"He said the only way I won't get drafted is if I go into these workouts blindfolded with my hands tied behind my back," says Monet.
He wasn't wrong. Something else Monet and Anthony will admit their son was right about was which NBA team he'd play for.
"Jordan was like, I'm going to Golden State. I mean, it was like, he came back from a workout with Orlando, he came home and then he had a workout one more time with the Bucks, and then he had to go back out for another workout with the Warriors. He said on the plane, God gave him a sign," says Anthony.
That sign, a gold streak in the sky. To Jordan, it was the yellow brick road to his future and the next stop on the "Poole Party's" tour.
"It kind of took off at Michigan. The student section kinda started the little 'Poole Party' his freshman year and it stayed and now he's at Golden State with the Splash Brothers. It's a cool take on it, we love it, he loves it, so it works out well," says Anthony.
Jordan isn't the only 414-product pushing Golden State to another NBA Finals. Big brother, Kevon Looney is right there with him.
"Kevon is a great guy and you saw the other day, Looney had a great game and Jordan was so happy for him. And behind the scenes, Jordan was just waiting for him to be done with his interview, it was just mad love. You know, it's another Milwaukee guy," says Anthony.
As for Jordan, we now know why he rarely misses a free throw.
"How many push-ups for a free throw? Oh, ten. So we would say drop it and we're sitting there watching him do push-ups for missed free throws. Yeah, I don't know, there really is no reason to miss one. He knows I'm upset when he does," says Monet.
The pool is open in Milwaukee... and the party has just begun.
