Jordan Poole finds it difficult to leave the Falls Church, Va., animal shelter where he volunteers.
He likes the staff and fellow volunteers, but most of all he hates leaving while knowing the cats he’s interacted with still need homes.
“Every time I come, it’s: ‘Let me leave with all of them! Give me 14 of them right now!’” he joked to the Washington Post’s Candace Buckner, who calls him “the lead crusader of the Secret Society of NBA Cat Dads.”
Some aren’t so secret: teammate Tristan Vukcevic recently adopted a cat after Poole converted him to the dark side, and a coy Poole says he “may have” convinced NBA superstar Stephen Curry to adopt a feline friend.
In a 2022 profile in The Athletic, Poole’s mother Monet says her son adopted his first cat when he was in high school.
“And when I tell you he fell in love with cats,” she said. “He loves his cats. … And he’s got some pretty cats too.”
When Poole was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 2019, his cat stayed with his mom back in Michigan because she wouldn’t have adjusted well to the move to the west coast, as well as an empty apartment when Poole was on road trips with the team. Later that year, the then-rookie adopted brother cats who had been abandoned by their former owner.
His enthusiasm is one reason why he’s been able to get teammate and friends interested in adopting. The NBA has other notable cat dads, including twins Brook and Robin Lopez, whose cats hilariously can’t stand each other. But Poole takes it to another level.
“A lot of guys are dog people, but just the energy [and] the way I talk about [cats], the pictures and videos and stuff that I show them, it just gives them a little bit more interest,” Poole told the Post. “So I give them a different perspective. Maybe they’re not as much maintenance, but they’re still a really dope companion and friend to have. You don’t have to really take them out three or four times a day. You can still get your rest. Normally [my peers] like to explore it. I’ve had a lot of friends and teammates who are also cat people.”
The 25-year-old Poole is averaging 20.3 points, 4.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game this season while shooting an excellent .391 on three-point attempts. The 6’4″ guard spent his first four seasons with Golden State before he was traded to Washington.
Pain In The Bud 
Great story!! Maybe he can convince more athletes to volunteer and foster a cat or dog if they like animals. Even Paris Hilton fosters dogs and volunteers.
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I wonder what’s become of the huge mansion she built for her dogs, and whether it survived the wildfires. Between that and the ultra toy chihuahua craze, I’m wary of her
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Not a huge fan of Hilton but i think she has matured over the years. Her house is demolished. Kids and dogs all ok. Said she feels blessed. She held onto some dogs that ran away. She reunited one dog with young teen. I think she advocated for a child abuse bill because she said it happened to her. And quite a few new moms seem to lose interest in thier pets when children come into the picture. I will never forget these cats that were given up because claim there was no room in apt. because of baby. That was bs!! I saw the apt.
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I was already a Jordan Poole fan, and now I’m an even bigger fan. What a wonderful cat dad and philanthropist.
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I’ve seen him quite a bit lately, as my brother lives in Washington, and since the Wizards are lousy, you can see the NBA’s best teams come there and sit close enough to hear the players trash talk for less than it would cost to sit in the sky at Madison Square Garden.
He’s good, he’s just on a team that is obviously tanking for a top draft pick, which has been a major problem in the NBA for decades.
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You really have to be special to love cats!
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Always liked Jordan Poole.
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BTW, NBA’s JaVale McGee is a cat-lover. McGee used to live with a Sphynx named Rajah (I don’t know if the cat is still with us…)
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Ah, JaVale McGee, another former Golden State Warrior. Shaq was notorious for getting on his case during Inside the NBA broadcasts, but he was a good backup center for the high speed offense they had.
Didn’t know he was a cat guy.
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It’s amazing how much impact a high-profile person can have in making something popular.
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