Latest news with #KlayThompson
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Klay Thompson Dealt Personal Loss
Klay Thompson Dealt Personal Loss originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The last few years, for the most part, haven't been very kind to Klay Thompson. He tore his ACL during the 2019 NBA Finals, a year after winning his third world championship in four seasons, and he had to miss all of the 2019-20 season. Then prior to the following campaign, he tore his Achilles. Advertisement After missing two full seasons, he helped the Golden State Warriors get another ring in 2022, but he wasn't the same player. He left to join the Dallas Mavericks last summer, but the Mavericks failed to reach the playoffs this year. Off the court, Thompson is reportedly facing another type of adversity with the passing of his beloved 13-year-old dog, Rocco. Although elite pro athletes such as Thompson have seemingly all the money in the world and all the freedom to do whatever they want, they're still flawed and sensitive souls just like the rest of us. Therefore, when one of them loses a beloved pet, it will hurt just as much as it hurts a mere mortal who makes $15 an hour. Advertisement It was thought that Thompson's arrival in Dallas would put the team over the top after it reached the NBA Finals last year. But he shot a career-low 41.2% from the field, and once Luka Doncic was traded away in early February, his level of support only dwindled. Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30).Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images One by one, one key player after another fell victim to injury. All-Star guard Kyrie Irving tore his ACL in early March, and that was likely the injury that sunk the Mavericks more than any other. While they're presumably about to welcome Duke phenom Cooper Flagg to their clan via next month's NBA draft, Rocco the dog is crossing the rainbow bridge. Advertisement Related: Charles Barkley's Exchange With Timothée Chalamet Catches Attention This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Golden State Warriors mourn the death of Klay Thompson's 13-year-old dog Rocco
NBA star Klay Thompson suffered a massive personal loss after his 13-year-old dog, Rocco, died. The unfortunate news was announced by the former Golden State Warriors' star's father, Mychal Thompson, during a recent appearance on ESPN's widely watched show, The Mason and Ireland Show. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now For the Thompsons' family, their English Bulldog was more than a pet, as he had been with the Mavericks star from his rookie season. The official handle of the Golden State Warriors paid a heartfelt tribute to Klay Thompson's dog, Rocco. The Golden State Warriors pay a heart-touching tribute to Klay Thompson's dog Rocco The former Warriors' star Klay Thompson suffered a major personal setback after the demise of his beloved dog Rocco. According to the information shared by Klay Thompson's dad, Mychal, the 13-year-old dog died on May 24, 2025. The official handle of the Golden State Warriors even paid a tribute to their former star Klay Thompson's dog Rocco's demise. The Warriors posted on X- 'Forever part of the Warriors family. Rest in peace, Rocco.' As Rocco has been a part of the Thompson family since Klay Thompson's initial days in the NBA, the Mavericks star shared a beautiful bond with his beloved dog. Heartbroken with Rocco's death, the former Golden State Warriors star shared a slew of pictures and even penned an emotional message for him on Instagram. The post mentioned 'I'm going to miss Rocco a lot, 13 glorious years with my boy. I know he's in doggy heaven poppin' somebody's ball. A great dynasty dog he was. Thank you for all the sweet messages! All dogs go to Heaven !' With multiple appearances with Klay Thompson during the Warriors' games, Rocco went on to become one of the most iconic members of the reputed NBA team, just like the Splash Brothers. With his fans, followers, and even fellow team members commenting under the post shared by Klay Thompson, his feed is flooded with tribute messages on social media. According to the statement given by Klay Thompson's father, their family went ahead with bidding goodbye to their beloved member Rocco last weekend. Also Read:
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
NBA star Klay Thompson suffers heartbreaking personal loss
NBA star Klay Thompson has suffered a heartbreaking personal loss after his team failed to make it to the postseason. The 35-year-old's beloved dog, Rocco, who has been by his side throughout his entire NBA career, has passed away at age 13. Thompson's father, Mychal, announced the devastating news of the English bulldog's death during an appearance on the 'Mason & Ireland' radio show Wednesday. 'As Mase and Ireland always say, when someone dear has departed, "Hail fellow well met,"' Thompson said. 'We had to put Rocco, Klay's dog, down over the weekend.' Mychal shared that Rocco was put down on Saturday but insisted that 'it was time.' 'We were all sad, but Rocco had a great, long life,' he added. 'So today's game is dedicated to the memory of our service men and women, and to Rocco.' Rocco shared his own slice of the limelight over the years as his owner rocketed to NBA stardom after Thompson adopted him in his rookie year. Thompson, who spent his first 13 seasons in the league with the Golden State Warriors before joining the Dallas Mavericks in 2024, even referred to the pet as his 'son.' Rocco had his own Instagram page, which featured several snaps of the pup and the four-time NBA champion. 'My first memory of Rocco is picking him up from the breeder at the time in the valley. And he was just a little puppy,' Thompson told last year. Now, he's a big all grown bulldog and great companion. He loves me unconditionally and I feel the same about him.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
The NBA Finals-bound Thunder are here to stay: ‘These guys are uncommon'
OKLAHOMA CITY — On May 28, 2016, Klay Thompson changed the course of Oklahoma City Thunder history forever. The Golden State Warriors star vanquished those Kevin Durant-Russell Westbrook Thunder all by himself with that an unforgettable finish in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, outscoring the entire Oklahoma City squad in the fourth quarter with his unconscious flurry of 3s. A Game 7 loss in the Bay came two days later, and Durant's departure that summer — to the Warriors, no less — brought an unfulfilling end to that storied era. Advertisement Fast forward nine years — to the day — and this Thunder team that is headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012 was rolling with so much force before halftime even hit that league officials were already planning for the Thunder's postgame celebration inside those same hallways. One employee pulled out the yellow ribbon that would adorn the PayCom Center floor. Another lined up the red-carpet rope that would surround the West champions. The trophies were at the ready. The outcome would come more than an hour later — 124-94 against Minnesota in Game 5 of the West Finals — when all that negative energy that haunted them from that fateful night almost a decade before was nowhere to be found. As Thunder coach Mark Daigneault celebrated with his team afterward, answering questions from ESPN's Lisa Salters at midcourt while all that youthful exuberance buzzed around him, he stumbled into a moment that was worthy of the next OKC marketing campaign. 'These guys are uncommon,' said Daigneault, who was an assistant at Florida when the Thunder lost to Miami in the '12 Finals, was coaching Oklahoma City's G-League team in '16 and has been at the Thunder helm since 2020. 'They do everything right. They're professional. They're high character ….' As he spoke, these players who so often resemble college freshmen at a fraternity party draped towels on his shoulders and a hat on his head. Daigneault, in turn, rewrote his speech. 'They're idiots,' he deadpanned. They're his idiots, though, with MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way, All-Star Jalen Williams proving worthy of his co-star billing, big man Chet Holmgren getting better all the time and a loaded roster of two-way talents who have the kind of personal chemistry not often seen in today's NBA. To say this group gets along pretty well is like saying Thunder general manager Sam Presti is halfway decent at his job. Advertisement There is a college feel to their program that belies the business vibes that are the norm within the Association, with Daigneault's postgame moment on the floor merely the latest instance. That dynamic has been on full display all season long whenever beloved sideline reporter Nick Gallo conducts one of his group interview sessions where hijinx are always had. And as Daigneault discussed in his postgame news conference, the absence of locker room drama means the talent that Presti compiled here is maximized to its fullest. 'I don't know what everybody else's NBA coaching existence is like, but I operate at 100 percent capacity (with this group),' Daigneault said. 'There's nothing constraining me from coaching my best. There's nothing constraining our coaching staff from coaching our best. There's nothing constraining our chefs from doing their jobs. I mean, everybody in our locker room is grateful and humble, respectful, kind, professional, and it allows everybody to operate at full capacity. And we don't take that for granted. I don't take that for granted.' But why is it that way? 'I think it's where they come from,' he continued. 'It's their families. It's their circles. As impressive as they are, when you look at their homes, where they come from, who's around them, who's talking to them now, who was talking to them when they were 10 years old, it all fits together. It makes sense. They're great people first. That's why. That's why it's so easy to coach this team.' In some ways, Daigneault is the poster boy for this Thunder youth movement that Presti put together. Even if he's a grown man. After the Thunder and coach Billy Donovan mutually parted ways in the summer of 2020, Daigneault was hand-picked by Presti to lead this rebuilding era. For the sake of perspective, he's nearly two months younger than LeBron James. And five years in, with the Thunder having worked through the tough times when so many rival teams assumed (incorrectly) that Gilgeous-Alexander would want to skip town, and with Presti having won our front-office awards rankings by such a massive margin, the fact that his vision has paid off from the top down is worth acknowledging. Advertisement He saw that SGA had untapped potential, saying goodbye to Paul George in that Clippers trade that has aged so poorly for LA's other team. He drafted Williams with the 12th pick that was part of that Clippers deal, then added Holmgren as the No. 2 pick in that 2022 draft that would, in the end, result in their modern-day version of the Big Three. By the end of this process, with the Thunder picking up players like Isaiah Joe (2022 free-agent signing), Cason Wallace (10th pick in 2023), Alex Caruso (via trade with Chicago last summer) and Isiah Hartenstein (free-agent signing last summer), the work that had focused on Durant, Westbrook and James Harden in that yesteryear era was clearly resulting in a more fool-proof plan. 'Sam didn't have (a) vision for me,' said Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 34 points, eight assists and seven rebounds en route to winning West finals MVP honors. 'He just traded for me. He had a few conversations (where) I realized he knows what he's doing very quickly, and then I just trusted him. Control what I can control. And as you guys can see, he's done a great job of doing his job to check things around here very quickly. Yeah, I think it just speaks to the tone that he's set across the organization.' The 48-year-old Thunder general manager who has been there since the beginning, first earning that GM title while with the Seattle SuperSonics in 2007 before making the controversial move to the plains, has done everything but win it all in this basketball business. He is, at his core, the farthest thing from an 'idiot.' And now, with his team on the brink of delivering a title that eluded the greats who came before, it's quite evident that the shortcomings that came before will play no part in what comes next. 'I just wanted to make sure that, like, above all, I could give my energy and my effort to try to get these fans what they deserve,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'I feel like the biggest thing is (that his teammates) make the NBA not feel like a job. And it can at times, with all the travel and all the hard days, ups and downs. I know I sound spoiled, being in the NBA, complaining about hard days. But these guys really make you feel like I'm a kid playing AAU basketball, like I'm 15 years old again. They make it seem like it's just fun. I think that's what makes us really good. We have so much fun being out there together.' Truer words have never been spoken. And regardless of the result of these finals, the obvious truth here is that the Thunder are here to stay. Again. (Top photo of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrating with the Oscar Robertson Trophy: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
What's the latest intel on Jonathan Kuminga and his uncertain Warriors' future?
SAN FRANCISCO — There are essentially three competing agendas within the Golden State Warriors in regard to Jonathan Kuminga's uncertain future: Kuminga's, the win-immediately core's and management's. Their motives agree and overlap in nuanced ways but clash in certain others, generating a complicated month ahead for the organization's biggest-ticket offseason item. Advertisement Restricted free agency gives an extra bit of inherent leverage to the franchise. Klay Thompson, unrestricted and unhappy with his situation, left the Warriors last summer on his own volition. Kuminga can't. If he is to split from the Warriors, he will need a level of cooperation between the front office, his agent, Aaron Turner, and his next team. But this is still the greatest amount of control Kuminga has ever had in his first four professional seasons and the plan is to wield it as best as possible. He's 22, still young enough to believe a mountain of growth is ahead, but old enough in NBA years to be assured in what he does and doesn't want his early prime seasons to look like. Kuminga, league sources said, still has visions of becoming an All-Star, not fitting into an ever-moving mid-tier rotation role. He wants to be a featured player in an NBA offense and chase the 20-point-and-beyond dreams he's spent his life chasing and the last week of his fourth season tasting. With an injured Steph Curry out of the picture, here were Kuminga's averages the last four games of the Minnesota Timberwolves series: 24.3 points on 54.8 percent shooting. He was a powerful 22 of 29 within five feet. He was a respectable 7 of 18 on 3s. He blew through Rudy Gobert for a memorable dunk. He toasted Naz Reid repeatedly in space. He was given the Anthony Edwards assignment on the other end. Jonathan Kuminga, HOW⁉️ 📺 #NBAonABC — Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 11, 2025 Kuminga wasn't perfect. The Warriors lost all four games. But he was a primary and productive source of offense in the second round of the playoffs against a great defense. Minnesota had real trouble staying in front of him. That's the type of week that only stokes the belief that Kuminga's career desires are attainable, if given the room to stretch his legs, either with the Warriors or elsewhere. There isn't an irreconcilable player-and-coach or player-and-organization personality clash, league sources said. This is all about finding the contract and opportunity Kuminga craves. Jonathan Kuminga on his relationship with Steve Kerr: 'We've had ups and downs. But he helped me to get here.' Kuminga kept answers about his future vague: 'I don't know.' — Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 15, 2025 Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler will make a combined $139.6 million next season. Below them — a three-man core general manager Mike Dunleavy maintains the franchise is committed to building around — there isn't a bunch of higher-priced roster-building tools to use. Kuminga represents the largest one, either through a fourth hefty contract commitment that'll stretch the Warriors near the aprons or a sign-and-trade opportunity that brings back the type of mid-rotation pieces to better round-out a fringe championship roster. Advertisement The last time Curry, Butler and Green were on the court together, they were up 10 in Game 1 in Minnesota and Kuminga was somewhere between the ninth and 11th man, mostly out of the picture. They enter the offseason under the belief they had a chance if Curry's hamstring didn't give and want some roster fortification to give them their best crack at it the next two playoffs. The cleanest path is finding a sign-and-trade scenario that delivers the Warriors veterans who fit the unique Steve Kerr system built around Curry, Green and now Butler — three unique and proven winners. One league source noted the way Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington altered Dallas' fortune two trade deadlines ago as a blueprint. Those two — a steady starting center and versatile wing — made a combined $28.8 million at the time of the trade. Ever since one of Kuminga's early-career breakout games in Chicago, Kerr has repeatedly mentioned the name Shawn Marion as a favorite idealized comparison. Their roster could certainly use a 6-foot-7 slasher who defends every position, pounds the glass, flies around with force and impacts the game without ever needing a play design. But there's a square-peg-round-hole reality that has proven itself out in nearly a half-decade together. Kuminga has acknowledged he must rebound better — activity that usually trickles down to the rest of his game. But he's an on-ball scorer at heart and has trained and built his basketball instincts with that in mind. There is not a current expectation that the Brooklyn Nets are preparing an offer sheet for Kuminga, but there are signs Brooklyn could be willing to use its open cap space as a vehicle to execute multi-team trade scenarios this summer, league sources said. That could open up several avenues and possible suitors for Kuminga, one of the market's most intriguing names. The Warriors' front office, with the help of new cap specialist Jon Phelps, showed some creativity last summer, routing Thompson's departure into a six-team sign-and-trade that delivered Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson (after generating the space for De'Anthony Melton). Advertisement Something similar would check the box for the first two agendas. But that's where it gets tricky. In regard to Kuminga's situation, the 'base year compensation' rule in the CBA is a critical impediment. Assuming Kuminga gets at least a 20 percent raise (he will) and his new deal takes the Warriors over the cap (it will), the incoming salary will only count as 50 percent of Kuminga's outgoing salary for matching purposes. Basically: If Kuminga's next deal starts at $30 million, his next team absorbs it as such, but the Warriors would be looking at a $15 million incoming match. They could exceed it by 125 percent ($18.75 million in this scenario), but if they were to take a dollar more than the theoretical match ($15 million in this scenario), they'd be hard-capped at the first apron. Leaving all the accounting intricacies to the side, here's what matters: That combination punch (the base-year rule plus first-apron cap) significantly limits the amount of sign-and-trade opportunities that can realistically be executed. Other salaries (at full price) could be added. The Warriors' front office, Kuminga's representatives and the league are expected to explore all options into July. But team sources have been hinting that, because of these market and financial restrictions, there's a likely world where the most obvious and prudent path is for them to bring Kuminga back and figure the rest out later. Joe Lacob's belief in Kuminga is well-documented. The Warriors' controlling owner was a major draft-night voice in 2021 when they selected Kuminga seventh. Lacob was seated courtside the entire Minnesota series as Kuminga shrugged off the rust and reminded the world about the scoring talent that resides within him. 'I was listening to the guys behind me tonight give running commentary — T'Wolves fans,' Lacob told The Athletic after Game 5. '(Kuminga)'s the guy they talked about all night long. He's the only guy that could really guard (Anthony Edwards) out there. Did a pretty damn good job. He had a tough situation with the DNPs from the last series, and to bounce back from that, I give him a lot of credit. I'm a big fan of his.' Advertisement After the series, Lacob voiced to Kuminga his continued belief in his future and wanted the young forward to keep an open mind about returning, league sources said. He invited Kuminga to sit courtside with him for the WNBA franchise opener for the Golden State Valkyries. The gesture, broadcast everywhere locally, sent a clear signal to the outside world. That isn't a guarantee of anything. Lacob invited Thompson to play golf the month before Thompson left the franchise for the Dallas Mavericks. But it'll be a high bar to clear for Lacob to greenlight a sign-and-trade where he parts with Kuminga. Dunleavy hasn't been as profuse in his praise and has generated a level of decision-making power made most clear in his execution of the Butler trade last February, which is viewed internally as a big success. He's on record stating his plan to maximize the present. But Dunleavy also has been particular and patient in his asset management and has been clear that he believes Kuminga has a skill set that can help this core. 'I look at the things JK does well,' Dunleavy said at his exit interview. 'Getting to the rim, finishing, getting fouled. These are things we greatly need. We know he can bring those to the table. It's not hypothetical. It's not a guy in the draft that we think can do it. He's shown for four years he can do that. For that reason, we'll try to bring him back.' The 'base year compensation' rule only applies to the summer sign-and-trade. Once Kuminga is trade-eligible again next December, his full salary would count for matching purposes, loosening up some of the handcuffs — while also making negotiations about his starting salary number more nuanced. Kerr has stated an openness to a Kuminga return. He only gave the five-man lineup of Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Kuminga, Butler and Green 12 total minutes together down the stretch of the regular season. It closed a road win against the Los Angeles Lakers together well, but the other Kuminga, Butler and Green lineups didn't have a great output, and Kerr — in an urgent pre-playoff and playoff moment — went away from a rusty Kuminga, just back from a 31-game absence. 'If JK comes back, we will for sure spend the early part of the season playing him with Jimmy, Draymond, Steph,' Kerr said. 'To me, that would be a no-brainer. We didn't have that luxury this (past) year.' Advertisement Curry (37) and Butler (35) will assuredly be managed throughout the regular season. It's very possible that Kuminga, by default, would be given a larger share of on-ball scoring opportunities for long stretches and would only earn more with success. The rest of the roster, as currently constructed, has shown its lack of creation punch. Kuminga, league sources said, hasn't slammed the door shut on a return. Restricted free agency doesn't really allow it. The Warriors have ultimate control, regardless of his desire. But his comfort about the idea is dependent on several factors and there's a month of conversation and eventual negotiations ahead with competing agendas in the mix.
