Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson has spent over 12 years with the NBA. During his time, he has created a reputation for being one of the best three-point shooters in the league’s history, while helping his team win four championship and setting several records along the way. But even though he has reached a high mark in his career, Thompson was a rookie player once like every other leaguer.

Surprisingly, Thompson was someone who got severely intimidated by the presence of well-established players, as the shooting guard revealed during a recent interview.

Klay Thompson recalls his nervousness during his first All-Star Game

Klay Thompson recently sat down for an interview with Los Angeles Clippers player Paul George. He discussed his thoughts when playing at his first All-Star Game. Thompson recalled how being in the presence of legends like Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Carmelo Anthony, etc. was “way too big” for him since these were the players he watched growing up. The pressure to do well kept crossing the player’s mind, causing him to overthink.

The then-rookie’s nervousness during the game made him question his role in professional basketball. “The All-Star game even, too, I’m like, ‘Do I really belong here,’ like I’m with all these superstars,” said Thompson during the interview, “I’m looking down, Carmelo’s down there and I’m like it’s just weird. It’s just uncomfortable.”

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Interestingly, during the game, Thompson’s mother sat next to a father-son duo. She would later tell her son that when he missed a shot, the young boy turned to his father and said, “Dad, Thompson is so cold. He can’t make a shot.” Remembering the incident now, the two players can’t help but laugh aloud.

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Eventually, the 5x NBA All-Star didn’t have such a doubt linger in his mind for long. “As you play it more, it’s like, ‘All right, I deserve to be here,’” Thompson added while concluding.

Once intimidated by legends, Thompson would go on to beat their records

Having faltered in his first All-Star game, Klay Thompson wouldn’t let that moment be the thing he would be remembered for. In 2015, during a match against the Sacramento Kings, Thompson would go on to display his skills and prowess on the basketball court in a manner that made the game a truly memorable one.

The player scored a whopping 37 points in one quarter, beating the record that was previously held by his own idol: Clay Anthony. When Klay teamed up with Warriors legend Stephen Curry, the Splash Brothers would be declared an unstoppable force. They would go on to create more than some memorable moments along the way, the most prominent of which still remains the one where they scored a total of 678 three pointers in the 2015-16 NBA season.

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Thompson’s progression through the years reminds fans out there that failure is just another step towards success. From the looks of it, the young boy at the All-Star game wouldn’t be thinking of Thompson as “cold” anymore.