As the Dallas Mavericks make a big move by signing former Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson, one individual was probably more disappointed than anybody else that he did not join the Los Angeles Lakers. That individual is none other than Mycal Thompson, a former Laker and, more significantly, Klay’s father, as the shooting guard revealed on Tuesday.
During his first news conference with the Mavericks, he was asked about his father’s displeasure with him not heading to the Lakers, where he played from 1987 to 1991 and won two titles. He is also a radio color commentator in Los Angeles, but while the younger Thompson is “disappointed,” he is still “happy for me,” according to a video from ClutchPoints’ Mavericks writer Joey Mistretta.
“Yes, my father was disappointed. “I haven’t talked to him much about it,” Klay Thompson said Tuesday. “At the end of the day, he was happy for me.”
“He was a little selfish in his business interests because he wanted me to be home with the family,” said Thompson. “I said, ‘Dad, I’ve been in California my entire life. “I got to try something new.”
Klay Thompson on his father’s thoughts on him joining the Mavs pic.twitter.com/EWavt38uUs
— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) July 9, 2024
Klay Thompson stated that his father “understood” his decision to join Mavericks.
Mychal Thompson, a former NBA player, and his son Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson attended the Los Angeles Sparks’ game against the Indiana Fever at Crypto.com Arena.
As he stated, the four-time Warriors champion was born in Los Angeles, where the Lakers play, and grew up around the team due to his father’s playing career. While the nostalgia goggles may be blinding for others, the parent understood why Thompson made the decision he did because “he realized that it was really a match made in heaven.”
“He understood, and he’s actually really excited for me,” Thompson added. “He believes we have a fantastic opportunity to do something extraordinary here, not just this year, but for many years. So, once the dust settled, he was completely on board and realized that it was a perfect match.
Mycal Thompson was not in a “congratulatory mood” when his kid chose Dallas.
Aside from the connection to Los Angeles, the shooting guard sensation was asked about his father’s reaction to his statements on a Sirius radio show. Mycal Thompson stated shortly after the announcement that his son would be moving to Dallas that he was not “in a congratulatory mood” since he wanted him to play for the Lakers.
“I’m not in a congratulatory mood right now,” Mychal Thompson admitted on SiriusXM. “You know, I mean, obviously it is Klay’s decision; it is his life, and he is an adult. 34 years old, same as we were 34 years ago, Scal, Frank, and our father used to give us counsel, and you know we’d go our own way, which was fine.
“That’s what life is supposed to be about, but I’m really disappointed,” the elder Thompson stated. “I was hoping, as you can see, that he would be a Laker.” And it was close. It came down to the Lakers and the Mavericks, and the Mavs won out. But, you know, I was hoping and praying that he would conclude 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
Klay Thompson grew up as a big Lakers fan.
As the Lakers commentator would point out, Klay Thompson is a “grown man” who has made the decision to do whatever he wants, but he would also reveal that he made a recruiting pitch for his local team. He would also remark that his son was a big fan of the historic team, where he “grew up idolizing” the late, great Kobe Bryant, who left an incredible legacy for the club.
“When he told me that the Lakers were talking to him, or going to talk to him, and the Mavs too, obviously I tried to sell playing for the Lakers,” Mychal stated during a SiriusXM interview. “Obviously, that’s the right and proper thing for me to do, and I felt it was the right thing to do because I believe in this franchise. The franchise has been really beneficial to me and my family, especially Klay. He grew up a Laker fan, idolizing Kobe Bryant, as did other players and kids his age.
Still, his father is “happy” with his decision to be with the Mavericks.
Thompson agreed to a three-year, $50 million contract with the Mavericks during the free agency period, with the Lakers apparently interested in signing the star. It was even suggested that Los Angeles star LeBron James might have accepted a pay reduction on a new contract if the organization could find a player with Thompson’s qualities and traits, but this never happened. Despite his displeasure, he is “happy” about his son’s decision.
“So I just thought it seemed like it would be the perfect fit for him to finally come back home because we always talked about him playing for the Lakers if he was not a Golden State Warrior, where else would he want to play?” Mycal asked. “And, of course, as a Kobe fan, he would have preferred to play for the Lakers, but when the opportunity arose, he selected the Mavericks. And I’ll live with it. I accept it, and I’m glad he’s happy with his decision, but I did try to sell him on the Lakers.”
It makes sense that Klay Thompson selected the Mavericks after the team’s NBA Finals appearance, where he might be the final missing piece among studs like Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The Lakers, on the other side, were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs after five games by the previous champions, the Denver Nuggets.
Nonetheless, Thompson will attempt to help Dallas improve following a 50-32 season in which they placed fifth in the Western Conference but were defeated in five games by the Boston Celtics in the championship series.
