Championship parades have become customary for Klay Thompson as much as his offseason trips to China. Only a summer after “China Klay” took the NBA by storm, his fun times at this, his third championship parade in Oakland, has proved to be another fad.
“Parade Klay,” if you will, was in full force during Tuesday's four-hour event to celebrate the Golden State Warriors back-to-back title, the third in a triumphant four-year run under head coach Steve Kerr.
It wasn't long until the mild-mannered, often quiet Thompson was living it up with the Oakland locals, champagne in hand, posing next to a FatHead cutout of Crying LeBron amidst the crowd.
Klay posed with Warriors fan holding a FatHead of a crying LeBron James https://t.co/yzr78bKmLm pic.twitter.com/eaAOnaRdZn
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) June 13, 2018
“It’s hard to put into words,” Thompson said of the fan support, according to Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News. “You make people happy. That’s honestly why we play.”
The sheer, unbridled joy was evident, as Thompson took charge of the bullhorn in his parade bus, standing next to big man Zaza Pachulia.
Thompson encouraged drinking fans to chug, called a young Warriors fan “the next Steph Curry” and hollered at a group of police officers, “I get no tickets for the whole summer!” — unintentionally doing it through the bullhorn with Pachulia standing within range.
“I’m sorry!” Thompson said before he patted Pachulia on his right shoulder, only to use the bullhorn yet again: “Let me me get some of that Hennessy.” Pachulia then threw up his arms in mocking fashion.
This of course, was Thompson's highlight of the entire parade.
“Probably yelling in Zaza’s ear on the bus,” Thompson joked.
Now he has an encore to follow during his annual trip to China, promoting his shoe brand, Anta, this time in local soil.
“I don’t know how I’m going to follow up with an encore,” Thompson said, smiling. “But I will not be attempting any 360-dunks this year. Maybe some basic two drop-step [dunks]. Other than that, I will just have fun out there, show my fans a great time and show them what it’s like to be a professional.”
Many Warriors players and even coach Kerr called Thompson the celebration MVP, with his dance moves at the nightclub after hitting up Morton's Steakhouse in Cleveland after a rousing Game 4 win.
“They always say dance like no one’s watching right?” his father, Mychal Thompson said, grinning. “He’s got all of his moves from me. No question about it. That’s some of his tribal moves in the Bahamas.”
Follow Us
Subscribe