After spending the first 13 years of his NBA career with the Golden State Warriors, Klay Thompson is on the move.
But while the five-time All-Star’s three-year, $50 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks figured to be cause for celebration, not everybody in his family is happy with the move.
Appearing on SiriusXM NBA Radio’s The Starting Lineup on Tuesday, Mychal Thompson discussed his son’s free agent decision. And in doing so, the former Los Angeles Lakers center admitted that he was “disappointed” that his son chose to sign with the Mavericks instead of his own former team.
“I’m not feeling too much in a congratulatory mood right now,” Mychal told hosts Brian Scalabrine and Frank Isola. “You know, because, I mean, obviously it’s Klay’s decision. It’s his life. He’s a grown man, 34 years of age, just like we were 34 at one time. And our fathers used to give us advice and, you know, we would choose our own path and that’s fine, that’s what life is supposed to be about. But I was, I’m really disappointed. I was hoping, as you can assess, that he would be a Laker. And it was close. It came down to the Lakers and the Mavs, but the Mavs won out. But you know me, I was hoping and praying he’d finish his career with the Lakers.”
“I’m not feeling too much in a congratulatory mood.”
Mychal Thompson had hopes that his son, Klay Thompson, would join the Lakers.@champagnennuts | @TheFrankIsola | @Scalabrine pic.twitter.com/8TH9bV3Ktw
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 2, 2024
Asked by Scalabrine how involved he was in Klay’s decision, the No. 1 pick of the 1978 NBA Draft admitted that he attempted to recruit his son to play for his former franchise.
“When he told me that the Lakers were talking to him, or going to talk to him, and the Mavs too, you know, obviously I tried to sell playing for the Lakers,” said Mychal, who won two NBA titles while playing for the Lakers from 1987-1991. “Obviously that’s the right thing for me to do and the proper thing for me to do. And I felt like it was the correct thing for me to do because I really believe in this franchise. The franchise has been so good to me and my family, including Klay.
“He grew up a Laker fan. He grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant like most players his age, most kids his age. So I just thought it seemed like it would be the perfect fit for him to finally come back home. ‘Cause we always talked about him playing for the Lakers, if he was not a Golden State Warrior, where else would he wanna play? And of course, being a fan of Kobe’s, he would’ve loved to have played for the Lakers. But he had a chance, and when the chance came, he chose the Mavericks instead. And I’ll live with it. I accept it and I’m happy for him that he’s happy with his decision. But yeah, of course I tried to sell him on the Lakers.”
The Minnesota Golden Gophers legend’s efforts, however, proved unsuccessful, with his four-time champion son opting to join the Mavericks instead. In Dallas, the younger Thompson will team with Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving to form one of the most offensively dynamic trios in the entire NBA.
