Klay Thompson’s impending move to Dallas has sparked disappointment within his family, particularly from his father, Mychal Thompson, a former Lakers star and current radio analyst. Speaking on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Mychal expressed his preference for Klay to join the Lakers during free agency.
“I’m really disappointed,” Mychal remarked. “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 recently agreed to a three-year, $50 million deal with the Mavericks, marking the end of his illustrious tenure with the Golden State Warriors. Since being drafted by the Warriors as the 11th pick in 2011, Thompson contributed significantly to the team’s four championships and was integral to their dynastic success alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
Last season, Thompson averaged 17.9 points per game while shooting 38.7% from three-point range. At 34, it was his lowest scoring output since 2012-13, and only the second season in which he shot below 40% from long range.
Thompson’s decision ultimately boiled down to choosing between the Lakers and the Mavericks. In Dallas, he will team up with stars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving following their recent NBA Finals appearance. Mychal, who played for the Lakers from 1987 to 1991 and won two championships, acknowledged trying to sway his son towards joining the Lakers, a team Klay admired due to his fondness for Kobe Bryant.
“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.”
