Klay Thompson Shares Impact Kobe Bryant Had on His Career

The shooting guard grew up in Los Angeles as a huge Kobe fan.

After struggling a bit throughout the postseason, Klay Thompson had a huge performance in Game 2 as the Warriors beat the Lakers. The veteran produced a game-high 30 points in 31 minutes, allowing Golden State to even the series with Los Angeles.

Thompson was born in Los Angeles and grew up a Lakers fan, so this series is a bigger deal than usual for him. The veteran explained how important a moment it will be for him to play his first playoff game on the Lakers’ home court.

“It’s such an incredible experience to play in front of my friends and family,” he said. “I would go to Staples [Center] as a high school basketball player with my pops dreaming of playing on that floor, playing against the best in the world. … I’m excited to do it in a building where my hoop dreams came about”

Specifically, Thompson is a Kobe Bryant fan, and he wants to pay respect to the late Kobe and Gigi Bryant when he takes the floor.

“I’m a huge Kobe fan obviously, he was my inspiration,” he said. “I’m just gonna play my hardest to honor him and Gigi. Without his play and all those years of viewing his tenacity on the court, I would not be the athlete that I am today.” 

Despite all the Warriors’ success, the Stephen Curry and Thompson-led Golden State teams haven’t played the Lakers in the playoffs until this year. Though the Warriors and Lakers play each other plenty in the regular season, there is something different about playoff basketball.

Golden State and Los Angeles will resume their 1–1 series with Game 3 on Saturday night at 8:30 ET on ABC.