The Loop
Klay Thompson's look of disgust after learning Kemba Walker made All-NBA over him is classic
Klay Thompson will play in a fifth consecutive NBA Finals, but for a third consecutive year, he didn't get the nod as one of the league's best players. And he made it clear he wasn't happy about it on Thursday.
During a media scrum following a Golden State Warriors practice, Thompson didn't hide his disgust when he was informed he wasn't among the All-NBA selections (three teams of five selected by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters). His most animated reaction, though, came when he was told that Charlotte's Kemba Walker made it over him. Check it out, specifically at the 15-second mark:
To his credit, Klay at least tried to recover.
"I respect those guys, but holy, when you go to five straight (finals), it takes more than just two All-NBA guys," Thompson says in the clip. "That's an all-time team. But whatever, I'd rather win an NBA championship than be third-team All-NBA."
Thompson was referring to not getting the nod while teammates Stephen Curry (1st team) and Kevin Durant (2nd team) did. And he has a point as a vital cog of [an NBA dynasty (Even the Wall Street Journal thinks so). But he should realize by now that the Warriors being loaded hurts his chances at being recognized for individual accolades. Walker is the man on his team—a team that missed the playoffs with a 39-43 record—averaging 25.6 points and 5.9 assists.
Thompson was also probably a little ticked because the snub brought contract implications for him. He needed to make one of the three All-NBA teams to be eligible for a more lucrative contract extension known as the supermax. Ouch. So yeah, don't blame him if he's a little short with those media members who didn't cast a vote for him.
Hey, Klay, if you're looking for those, I know a place in the easier Eastern Conference where you could come play next year. They say, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. . . C'mon, let's make it happen. Isn't winning every year getting boring?
Oh, and did anyone film Draymond Green's reaction to finding out he also didn't make it? We're sure that went over really well, too. . .