It feels like just yesterday that Klay Thompson won his fourth championship with the Golden State Warriors. However, he is now a Dallas Maverick, something most, including co-owner of the Bay Area franchise, Joe Lacob, just can’t believe. During a recent interview with The Athletic, he was asked to speak on how the move made him feel, something he gave a rather interesting response to.
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Much as anyone would expect, Lacob was sad to see such an integral part of the franchise move on. But he made sure to appreciate all that Thompson had done for the franchise. When he mentioned that Klay had moved to Dallas, he immediately followed it up with somewhat of a challenge to both, the player and his new franchise and said,
“I sent him that little video of me bowing to him… And it was just my way of saying, you know, he meant so much to us, and so much to this organization, and everything we’ve accomplished as a group, and that I still feel that way about him, and I always will. It will never change.
Though there were rumors that things weren’t good between the management and Klay, Lacob mentioned that he didn’t care what people thought, and he hoped that he and Klay would be friends forever. He further said, “And he’s just going to be in Dallas for a few years, we’ll have to kick his a**! But that’s just the job. I’m sure he feels the same way”
Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob joined @davidaldridgedc and @ThompsonScribe on @AthleticNBAShow to discuss Klay Thompson’s departure and his impact on the organization.
“He’s just going to be in Dallas for a few years and we’ll have to kick his a—.”
Full episode:… pic.twitter.com/AJajQLn2rR
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) July 16, 2024
But Klay’s departure from the team had players send out messages. When Draymond Green heard the news, he said he was not sure how to react. Green said,
“It’s a classic tale of suppressing your emotions right now. I haven’t allowed myself to really process it. I don’t want to. I feel like I’ll face it when I have to face it. Nonetheless, I’m happy for Klay. Happy he gets the opportunity to play basketball at a high level and get back to feeling like Klay… I think he’s gonna have a really good year and he’s gonna show people he’s still got a lot left in the tank.”
His Warriors teammate, Stephen Curry was not very happy with Klay’s decision. He said, “Gonna miss you @klaythompson. Even though we won’t finish the journey together, what we did will never be done again. Couldn’t have imagined a better run with you and (Draymond Green). Changed the whole Bay Area. Changed the way the game is played. Killa Klay at the center of it all. Thank you for everything bro. Go enjoy playing basketball and doing what you do… Splash Bros 4 life my guy.”
Despite all the reports regarding how things have soured between Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors management, Joe Lacob seems to be insisting that they are still close. While there is no way to confirm anything here, it is undebatable that the player and this organization spent some fun times together. Those kinds of memories don’t disappear easily, no matter how many disagreements may crop up between two parties.
It will be interesting to see what happens when the Warriors meet the Dallas Mavericks next. While the two will be looking to win at all costs, there will certainly be a sense of camaraderie shared between Klay Thompson and his former organization.
