Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson recently imparted invaluable wisdom to a group of young basketball athletes. Thompson, the former long-time member of the Golden State Warriors, preached the importance of maintaining a solid work ethic and instilling rigorous habits, which is critical to survival in the association.
The 13-year veteran and four-time Warriors champion has been around long enough to know that fulfilling a long NBA career is never promised for anyone but earned through good habits and a lasting appreciation for the game, per basketball trainer Olin Simplis' Instagram account.
“Don’t matter how you shoot the ball that day, f***** feel like s***, you need to get out there every day, stay at it, bro, you’re going to make the most of it yourself,” Thomson said. “That’s all I have to say. Fall in love with this s*** because it does not last forever, fellas. This s*** goes by so quick, and as you get older in your career, you’ll notice guys you came in with it’s tough. It’s just tough to stick.
“Enjoy it for as much as you can and love it because, at the end of the day, the money and all that s*** is cool, but the fact that you get to do something you love for a living is not a better feeling. Big time.”
Klay Thompson ready for new role with Mavericks
After spending all 13 years with the Golden State Warriors, Klay Thompson signed a three-year, $50 million contract with the Mavericks in July. The 34-year-old 3-point specialist is hoping to be a key catalyst in helping the Mavericks, who lost to the Boston Celtics 4-2 in the 2024 NBA Finals, get over the championship hump.
Thompson, whose last championship with the Warriors came in 2022 against the Celtics, is hoping to head back to the NBA Finals with stars Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Mavericks.
“I was watching just as a basketball fan, and I did see, like, ‘Man, I could really help this team. They’re right there,’” Thompson said, per Schulyer Dixon of NBA.com. “Not big adjustments, but just very little adjustments from getting over the top. We’re knocking on the door, and that’s what really got me excited to be here.”
Watching the Mavs fall short against the Celtics ultimately led to Thompson’s signing with Dallas.
“There was times last year it was tough, where it wasn’t as joyful as it had it been in the past,” Thompson said. “It’s nice to kind of shed that and have a whole new fresh start, a whole new group of guys to get to know. A whole new city. It’s really cool. And I’m going to embrace the heck out of this opportunity.”
Klay will head back to San Francisco as a visiting team member for the first time in his career on November 12.
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