Mychal Thompson knows he should be happy that his son, Klay Thompson, has landed a $50 million contract with the Mavericks during the 2024 NBA offseason.
Still, he can’t help but wish his son had signed with another team.
“I don’t feel like congratulating myself right now,” Mychal told SiriusXM Radio’s “The Starting Lineup” hosts Brian Scalabrine and Frank Isola on Tuesday.
That team would be the Lakers, the same franchise for which the elder Thompson played between 1987 and 1991 and for which he works as a radio commentator.
“When he told me that the Lakers were talking to him, or were going to talk to him, and the Mavs were talking to him, I obviously tried to sell him on the idea of playing for the Lakers,” Mychal explained. “Obviously, that’s the right thing to do and what’s right for me. And I felt like it was the right thing to do because I truly believe in this franchise. The franchise has been so good to me and my family, including Klay.”
Why Mychal Thompson wanted Klay Thompson to play for the Lakers
Thompson went on to explain that his son grew up a Lakers fan and “idolized Kobe Bryant” in his younger years.
“So I thought it would be perfect for him to finally come back home,” Thompson said of Klay’s decision. “Because we always talked about him playing for the Lakers, if he wasn’t a Golden State Warrior, where else would he want to play? And of course, being a Kobe fan, he would have loved to play for the Lakers.”
“I don’t feel like congratulating myself much.”
Mychal Thompson was hoping his son, Klay Thompson, would join the Lakers.@champagnenuts | @TheFrankIsola | @Scalabrine image.twitter.com/8TH9bV3Ktw
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 2, 2024
While Klay grew up a Lakers fan, he found it difficult to turn down the opportunity presented to him by the Mavericks. Dallas had made it to the NBA Finals the previous season and has a young star on the roster in Luka Doncic, along with a solid veteran star in Kyrie Irving.
Add to that the lack of a state income tax in Texas, and it seemed like an excellent fit for Thompson with his $50 million contract.
As such, the elder Thompson understands why his son joined the Mavericks, even if he hoped Klay would join the Lakers.
“I’m going to live with it,” Mychal Thompson told Scalabrine and Isola. “I accept it and I’m happy for him that he’s happy with his decision. But yeah, of course, I tried to convince him to stay with the Lakers.”
Still, the decision will sting a bit, especially since Thompson won’t have the chance to call as many of his son’s games in the twilight of Klay’s NBA career.
“Obviously, it’s Klay’s decision. It’s his life,” Mychal said. “He’s a grown man, 34 years old, just like we were 34 years old at the time. And our parents used to give us advice and, you know, we chose our own path and that’s fine, that’s how life is supposed to be. But I was, I’m really disappointed. I was hoping, as you can see, that he was going to be a Laker. And it was so close. It came down to the Lakers and the Mavs, but the Mavs won.
“But you know me, I was hoping and praying that he would finish his career with the Lakers.”
