Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson opened up to Shams Charania of Stadium about a variety of topics, including his 2019 free-agency decision:
As he approaches unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2019, Thompson said he couldn’t envision himself playing anywhere else. He’ll be heavily recruited and highly coveted, but Thompson said he doesn’t pay attention to that.
“I just want to be on a great team, I don’t necessarily want to be the focal point,” Thompson said to Charania. “I know what it feels like to win and win with some of your best friends, that’s why it would be hard for me to leave.”
Thompson also mentioned his partnership with Stephen Curry and his appreciation for Kevin Durant, who signed a two-year max extension with the Warriors this summer:
“I don’t think this is Steph’s team, I don’t think this is KD’s team, I don’t think this is Draymond’s team, my team,” Thompson said to Charania. “I think this is our team. Without each one of us, we lose a huge part of this team.”
When Thompson first arrived in Golden State, he was a relatively unknown prospect out of Washington State. Under the tutelage of Mark Jackson, Thompson and Curry grew into one of the most dynamic shooting duos in NBA history.
“It started with Mark Jackson just instilling so much confidence in us, calling us the greatest shooting backcourt of all time,” Thompson said to Charania. “I’m very happy that we proved him right.”
This will be Thompson and Curry’s eighth season together in Golden State. They hold the top two spots for most three-pointers made in team history and have spearheaded the franchise’s resurgence after two decades of failure.
“Our games just grew with one another,” Thompson said to Charania. “I think we’re the best backcourt because of our resumes.” It’s quite a resume. The guards have three championships, two MVP awards, nine All-Star appearances and seven All-NBA team selections between them. Thompson said he believes there is still one thing missing from the list.
“I’m thankful that we got KD,” Thompson said to Charania. “Without KD, we would not be the same team that we are. I do look back on that game sometimes because it’s cool to see what you have in you, that was a huge gut-check moment for our season.”
