Klay Thompson Says His Father Probably Is Rooting for Lakers Against Warriors

Only time will tell whether Mychal Thompson will root for Los Angeles or Golden State on Tuesday night.

Normally when a person’s child is playing in a sporting event, it’s a given that the parent will be rooting for their kid’s team.

However, that might not be the case for Warriors star Klay Thompson when Golden State team faces the Lakers in the second round of the 2023 NBA playoffs starting Tuesday night.

His father, Mychal Thompson, is a former Lakers center. He was the No. 1 pick in the 1978 NBA draft by Portland but played his final five seasons in Los Angeles. Coincidentally, the last time the Lakers and Warriors faced each other in the playoffs was in 1991, when the elder Thompson was still playing for L.A.

Now, the Warriors star’s father works as a radio color commentator for the Lakers. Thompson even grew up a Lakers fan. Klay admitted he knows it will be a tough call for his father in terms of who he’ll be rooting for when Game 1 rolls around.

“I don’t know. I really don’t,” Klay Thompson said. “If I had to guess, probably his employer. But I’m just excited. I have so many great memories with him watching the Lakers, watching Kobe, watching Shaq and Pau, and the rest of the gang. So I’m just really excited to try to stick it to the team that I grew up rooting for.”

Only time will tell which team the elder Thompson will decide to root for Tuesday night. Either way, fans are likely to be treated to a tremendous matchup.