Klay wins early rounds of family feud

LA Lakers' Steve Blake (left) drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson during the fi rst half of their NBA Global Games encounter in Shanghai on Friday. [Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters]

The Thompson clan found itself in an unenviable position during the recent preseason games in China between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers.

As son Klay helped the Warriors defeat the Lakers at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai on Friday, father Mychal was forced to look on as part of the LA team's support staff.

Klay, the middle son of the former Laker and current video analyst Mychal, said he didn't talk to his father much before the game as "he's on the Lakers' side".

Red-hot Klay hit five 3-pointers in six attempts and finished with a game-high 25 points to lead the Warriors to a 115-89 victory over the Lakers in front of more than 17,000 boisterous Chinese fans.

"Yeah, he (Mychal) still roots for the Lakers, which was kind of messed up (by the Warriors win). But I thought it was good to beat them," the 23-year-old swingman said with a sly grin.

Brought up in Orange County in southern California, Klay was supposed to be a LA diehard - just like his father, who won two NBA championships with the Lakers in 1987 and '88 as a backup to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

However, Klay, a two-time All Pac-10 First Team member grew tired of the Lakers' dominance in California and saw a chance to challenge their supremacy when he was picked by the Warriors 11th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft.

"I was not allowed to root for Golden State growing up in south California, so playing against (the Lakers) is like a dream come true. It's even sweeter when you beat them.

"I've seen them rule the state of California for too long. We want Golden State to be the team out west. It starts tonight, in the preseason it is always fun beating them."

Klay's straightforward personality is inherited from the senior Thompson, who didn't mince words when his son got involved in a brawl with the Indiana Pacers' Roy Hibbert in February. Mychal went on the airwaves in LA to talk about the actions of his "dumb son".

"We just stay true to each other and that's how I treat all my three sons," said the 58-year-old, who has two other sons, Mychel and Trayce.

Apart from some not-so-subtle jabs, Mychal is more than happy to impart his knowledge to Klay when required.

That included helping Klay make the smooth move from the college to pro ranks. He has been a consistent contributor at both ends of the court and has provided great support for Golden State star Stephen Curry with an impressive stats line of 16.6 points and 3.7 rebounds over 82 games last season.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn