“Without his play and all those years of me viewing his tenacity on the court, I would not be the athlete I am today.” Yep, that’s how much Klay Thompson admired and followed Kobe Bryant. As a fan who credited his career to Black Mamba, hearing out from Thomson was a must on the recent 5th death anniversary of the Los Angeles Lakers legend. Not only did the Dallas Mavericks forward not disappoint with his words for Black Mamba, but he even shared an interesting Luca Doncic and Kobe Bryant anecdote.

“Kobe was one of the most intelligent athletes to ever grace this earth. And he was the ultimate competitor,” Thomson said. This belief would, interestingly, impact his impression of his new teammate at Dallas Mavericks.

“… The first thing I told Luca when we met. I was like, ‘Man, I knew you were gonna be special.’ Because he brought Kobe out of the house to go watch him play. Kobe doesn’t just give that love to those who don’t earn it,” Thompson said.

Seemingly, KT was referring to the time when Black Mamba trash-talked Doncic from the sidelines in Slovenian. He, however, later met Doncic and clicked pictures with him. For those unaware, Doncic himself is a big-time Kobe Bryant fan. But what Klay Thompson said for the 5x NBA champ during his recent media interaction makes him stand out in the long line of fans.

“I think about him and Gigi… Ask anybody who was born around the time I was… He [Bryant] was like our Michael Jordan. His style of play and his influence on the game on a global scale is something that is probably only second to Michael…”

Not many of you might know this but Klay Thompson has had a deeper connection with the Lakers than you’d think.

Klay Thomspon’s father wanted him to play for the Lakers

Thompson’s story has always had strong ties to Los Angeles. Born in the city, his basketball journey began right here in Southern California. If you visit the gym at Santa Margarita High in Orange County, you’ll see his high school jersey hanging as a proud reminder of his roots.

But his college journey took him far from home. To Pullman, Washington—where his jersey also hangs retired at Washington State, honoring his incredible time there. Of course, when you think of Klay, it’s impossible not to picture him in a Golden State Warriors jersey. For 13 seasons, he built his NBA legacy in the Bay Area, playing a key role in four championships. But here’s the twist: when it was time to move on from the Warriors, Klay’s father, Mychal Thompson, hoped for something special. A return to his hometown.

If you didn’t know, Mychal is a 2x NBA champion with the Showtime Lakers. And now he’s the team’s radio color commentator. He even admitted his dream on Sirius XM NBA Radio. “He [KT] grew up a Laker fan… Grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant like most players his age, most kids his age… It seemed to be the perfect fit for him to finally come back home.”

But life rarely plays out as expected. Instead of donning purple and gold, Klay chose a new path, signing a three-year, $50 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks, starting an exciting new chapter.