Sports
Klay Thompson’s dad ‘really disappointed’ he chose the Mavericks over the Lakers in free agency
Klay Thompson’s upcoming move to Dallas isn’t sitting well with everyone in the Thompson family.
His father, former Lakers star and current radio analyst Mychal Thompson, was pulling for his son to land in Los Angeles in free agency instead.
“I’m really disappointed,” he said on SiriusXM NBA Radio on Tuesday. “I was hoping, 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.”
Thompson agreed to a three-year, $50 million deal with the Mavericks on Monday, officially ending his incredible run with the Golden State Warriors. Thompson, who the Warriors took with the No. 11 pick in 2011, won four championships with the franchise and was a critical part in the dynasty the team built alongside Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and others.
Thompson averaged 17.9 points last season while shooting 38.7% from behind the arc. The 34-year-old’s scoring output was his worst since the 2012-13 campaign, and last season was just the second in his career that he shot worse than 40% from behind the arc.
Thompson’s free agency decision came down to the Lakers and the Mavericks, where he’ll now get to team up with stars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving after their run to the NBA Finals earlier this year. Naturally, once he learned the Lakers were in consideration, Mychal tried to jump in and help persuade his son. Mychal played for the Lakers from 1987-91 and won two championships with the team.
“We always talked about him playing for the Lakers,” Mychal said. “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.”
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