The Lakers missed out on Klay Thompson in NBA free agency and his father, Mychal, is quite upset about that.
At the risk of sounding cliche and cheesy, there was something poetic about the possibility of Klay Thompson finally becoming a Laker.
His father was one of the key role players of the latter years of the Showtime Era and has since spent his time around the franchise, currently working with the radio broadcast of the games.
When the opportunity came this summer for Klay to finally potentially join the Lakers, then, it felt like something written in the stars. And then it wasn’t.
Klay spurned the Lakers for the Mavericks on Monday, leaving the Lakers searching for a backup plan in free agency. It’s also left his father quite sad.
Mychal appeared on SiriusXM NBA Radio with Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine and was quite honest in his reaction to Klay heading to Dallas.
"I'm not feeling too much in a congratulatory mood."
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 2, 2024
Mychal Thompson had hopes that his son, Klay Thompson, would join the Lakers.@champagnennuts | @TheFrankIsola | @Scalabrine pic.twitter.com/8TH9bV3Ktw
In many ways, this is refreshing to hear and I think Mychal expressed himself really well.
It’s clear that he still and always will support his son. He hasn’t played for the Lakers at all in his career and still supported him, obviously. That won’t change in Dallas.
It’s also clear, though, that he really wanted Klay to play for the Lakers. He made his pitch, likely, an impassioned one, for him to join the purple and gold. But he also didn’t step over the line and left the decision up to him.
I appreciate him being honest in this situation. And I respect him feeling the way he does, because it’s probably how lots of Lakers fans feel.
Having Klay in any other jersey outside of a Warriors one is going to look weird, but donning the jersey that his father wore would be a cool moment. Playing for the franchise his father helped win multiple titles would have been poetic.
Things didn’t play out that way, though. I just hope Mychal isn’t sad for too long because anyone who has listened to him or read his Twitter account knows that he should deserves eternal happiness.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
