Python is OOP; but the "classical" data-centric languages are actually all more or less in the FP space. (I count array languages and APL-likes to FP in this case).
Just an example: You don't have immutable data types by default in Python. This is actually a pretty bad default for data processing tasks.
You now say it's like that because Python has already quite some libs / frameworks in that direction.
This looks like circular reasoning.
Also the the "prototypical ML dude" comes form the math department. People with math background have a much easier time to grasp FP than procedural programming. FP is much more "natural" when you're used to math.
(Procedural programming says things like `x = x + 1`, but even my grandma would know that "this has no solution", or is likewise "plain wrong" ;-))