Why Lakers couldn’t compare to Mavericks for Klay (1:12)
Brian Windhorst explains why the Mavericks made more sense than the Lakers for Klay Thompson. (1:12)
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ESPN
Jul 2, 2024, 03:23 PM ET
Klay Thompson‘s decision to sign with the Dallas Mavericks as a free agent didn’t get an overarching stamp of approval from his father — former Los Angeles Lakers star Mychal Thompson.
“I’m not feeling too much in a congratulatory mood right now,” Mychal Thompson told SiriusXM NBA Radio on Tuesday morning.
Klay Thompson agreed to a three-year, $50 million contract with the Mavericks on Monday, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Lakers were extremely intriguing to Klay Thompson, sources said, but the financial savings from living in Texas over California and the fact that the Mavericks came within three victories of an NBA championship were big factors in his decision.
“You know, because, I mean, obviously it’s Klay’s decision. It’s his life,” Mychal Thompson said on the radio show. “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.
“… 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.”
Mychal Thompson played for the “Showtime” Lakers from 1987 to 1991 and won two NBA championships in that span.
“When he told me that the Lakers were talking to him, or going to talk to him … obviously I tried to sell playing for the Lakers,” Mychal Thompson, who is a radio analyst for Lakers games, said. “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.”
Klay Thompson won four NBA championships in his 13 seasons with the Golden State Warriors, but his role fluctuated throughout last season, including him being moved to a bench role in late February.
He averaged 17.9 points last season, his lowest since 2012-13.
“We always talked about him playing for the Lakers,” Mychal Thompson said. “If he was not a Golden State Warrior, where else would he want to 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.”
ESPN’s Kendra Andrews contributed to this report.
