Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson might not know it, but he served as an inspiration to Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton in his quest to becoming a professional basketball player and playing in the NBA.
Deandre Ayton, the no.1 overall pick of this year's draft, revealed that seeing Klay Thompson during a celebrity camp when he was 12 years old motivated him to play basketball and aspire for the pros.
As told by Mark Medina of The Mercury News, Ayton was a camper in the Jeff Rogers celebrity camp in the Bahamas. Thompson, who was coming off his rookie season (2012-13) that time, was also in attendance.
Ayton admitted he liked the attention that Thompson received during the event, and it was what actually inspired him to take on basketball and be like Thompson.
“It’s nothing deep. I just saw him play basketball and I said I wanted to be him,” the Suns big man explained. “I didn’t know him as a player. I didn’t even know basketball. I just wanted the attention that he got.”
Ayton is certainly getting all the attention he wants now. As the top pick of the 2018 draft, there's a huge pressure on him to live up to the billing.
Not to mention that he is largely considered as the hope of a Suns franchise that has been performing poorly over the past few years.
As funny as the story may seem, Thompson's impact on Ayton was certainly significant. Ayton is currently averaging 17.0 points and 10.9 rebounds per game while shooting 60.5 percent from the field and 76.5 percent from the free-throw line.
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