The Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 104-94 on Monday night to take a 3-2 series lead in the NBA Finals.
In the third quarter of that game, the Celtics went on an incredible run. They erased a double-digit deficit and actually took the lead.
At the end of that quarter, as time was running out, Jordan Poole got the ball with less than a second remaining and nailed a clutch half court jumper.
Not only did that three put his squad up by one going into the fourth quarter, but it also restored some semblance of momentum for Golden State. The Warriors would go on to win the game.
Poole’s clutch shot was so impressive that folks couldn’t help but wonder what motivated him to step up like that. One popular theory that emerged immediately? That it was him trying to impress world-renowned actress Zendaya.
“Jordan Poole shooting 100% from half court buzzer beaters in the finals… you think he saw Zendaya in the crowd?”
Tap in now live in the B/R App for more Game 5 reactions https://t.co/UCgSk5gEzl pic.twitter.com/YhrLIocOmI
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 14, 2022
The reference here is to a now-viral tweet that was posted prior to the outing suggesting that Zendaya would be on hand to cheer Poole on for Game 5.
BREAKING: Zendaya will sit courtside to support Jordan Poole and the Warriors tonight. pic.twitter.com/ttZNzQ4eZD
— jose (@KlayForTrey) June 13, 2022
Why would Poole and Zendaya be connected in the first place? Because a while back, the former suggested that he and the latter should double date with Klay Thompson:
Beyond that, a lot of folks believe that Poole tends to show out when he sees attractive women in the crowd. A video claiming to show him going supernova when he saw two blondes sitting courtside went mega-viral recently.
So what’s the final verdict here? Did Poole really hit that clutch halfcourt shot because he saw Zendaya?
It doesn’t seem like it. There are no photos of Zendaya at Monday’s Warriors game, and all images that have gone viral arguing the opposite have been old. Moreover, she is currently in a relationship with Spiderman actor Tom Holland – so it is unlikely she would show up to any sporting event to show some other random player love.
It’s easy to see why folks would want to believe this is true. Video of Poole openly flirting with ESPN’s Malika Andrews has put his love of beautiful women on center stage during these playoffs.
Yikes Connor McDavid. https://t.co/LlHjdZ6bUA
— Game 7 (@game7__) June 13, 2022
But word on the street is that he now has a girlfriend himself. So he might not even need Zendaya’s support, he may have his own lady to cheer him on.
Would it have been hilarious if Zendaya motivated Poole’s clutch three on Monday? Yes.
Is that what happened? It doesn’t appear so.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
