For Golden State Warriors fans, Klay Thompson leaving the dynasty was heartbreaking. But he went with his heart as he decided it was time to move on to something else. That something else was the Dallas Mavericks, where he will team up with Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. But the NBA world could not fathom why he did not join any of the other contenders.
Longtime NBA analyst Marc Stein has the answers. For that, he went back to the times when he covered Team USA teams of the mid-2010’s. He revealed that when talking on the DLLS Mavs podcast.
I covered the 2016 Olympics and the 2014 World Cup, where they were teammates. You could tell then that Klay had a real admiration for Kyrie. I do think that there’s no question that Kyrie Irving is one of the players, one of the peers that Klay Thompson really respects and that was a huge factor for the Mavs, because it’s always great when players can be the advocates for your free agency push.
Klay Thompson said
Stein did say that initially he too could not understand how the Dallas Mavericks pitch worked that fast. But then he remembered that the respect was born 10 years back.
Marc Stein was categorically clear that GMs and coaches do have an influence on player’s decisions. But when a fellow player makes that pitch, it resonates much more. Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson playing together on two Team USA teams brought about that mutual respect and helped Thompson make that decision quickly.
So, when the opportunity came up, he did not have second thoughts. As a matter of fact, that impact led him to spur other good offers from other teams. All in the interest of continuing his basketball legacy.
Klay Thompson enjoying life in the offseason
Before heading to training camp, all NBA stars generally recuperate in the summer. They need that rest after a full season of hard-nosed basketball. Klay Thompson seems to be enjoying life in any way he can. A clip posted on social media shows the 4-time champion hanging out on the beach.
But more importantly, he is hanging out with a random family he just met. Not showing any superstar ego or having security keeping people away. This shows that he loves the life away from the limelight. One of the key reasons he declined to join LeBron James at the Los Angeles Lakers.
Former head coach Steve Kerr once said that Thompson is as low-maintenance as a basketball superstar can get. He has no qualms about himself and just wants to play ball. That is one of the core reasons he moved away from the Golden State Warriors. He likes the quiet life.
