Not every memorable NBA moment happens after tipoff. Before Friday’s game against Boston, Jordan Poole casually invited a young fan onto the court to take a few shots during pregame warmups.
Poole was simply pausing his own routine, pulled up the barrier rope to let the kid step, however briefly, into the dream.
Jordan Poole. for the people pic.twitter.com/xGERTJLXEL
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) April 10, 2026
Warmups are usually private rituals performed in public, full of repetition, focus, and preparation. Players are creatures of habit, especially before games, and most interactions with fans stay within the expected boundaries of waves, autographs, or a tossed wristband. Poole went a little further. For a moment, the floor was not just his workplace. It became a stage for someone else’s memory.
Poole has always played with a certain looseness and flair, and in this case that energy seemed to carry into the pregame atmosphere as well. But the best part however was that this felt unforced. The kid got a moment on an NBA court. Poole gave the crowd something warmer than a highlight. Nothing more, nothing less.
