NFL legend and 2002 Superbowl Champion Keyshawn Johnson recently released another episode of his ‘All Facts No Breaks’ podcast. With his son Keyshawn Jr. joining in as co-host, the duo touched base on the world of basketball. They brought up Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson, asking the question of whether the player may choose to take his talents somewhere else next season. However, Johnson believed that Thompson’s decision was co-related to how far the Warriors would reach during the playoffs stage.
“When you have a team like this that can make a run in the playoffs and they don’t get bounced early, I think you see them come back,” said Johnson. “If they get bounced out of the play in, and they don’t make the playoffs…you could be seeing Klay Thompson in another uniform”.
Another rumor that has been running rampant alongside the ‘Klay switching team’ one is that the player may very well choose to retire. This was something that the former NFL star found completely unfathomable. “Dude got about a $150 Million still left to make and he got plenty of basketball”, Johnson continued. “Nobody retires”.
Klay Thompson had earlier signed a 5 year, $189.9 million contract that is set to expire as soon as the ongoing NBA season comes to an end. This would allow the player to put himself as a free agent or join any other team that would be willing to indulge him with a higher contract. While the player had earlier shown interest in playing for the Bahamas national team during the upcoming FIBA World Cup, he has not made any clear indications that the same would involve him bidding adieu to the NBA for good. In fact, Thompson has made it clear that when his time comes, he will be exiting with the same franchise that first gave him the opportunity to play in the big league 13 years ago.
Klay Thompson wants to retire with the Golden State Warriors
While Klay Thompson has not given an exact timeline of when he wants to retire, he has accepted the fact that time is quickly slipping away from his hands. Back in February, Thompson’s stats were not as high as they are at the moment. This had shockingly resulted in the player to be benched as the Warriors’ sixth man. When asked about the same, the four-time NBA champion expressed his faith in his team and himself, while making it clear that he would not be willing to play once his 40 birthday approaches.
“I would love to be a Warrior for life. Whatever happens though, I’ve got a few more years to play this game, so I’m gonna enjoy every second,” said Thompson. “I realize that I see light at the end of the tunnel, I’m not sure if I want to play until I’m 40, man. That sounds really exhausting.”
USA Today via Reuters
When talking about his own possible retirement, the Warriors leading scorer Stephen Curry reportedly that he, Klay Thomson and Draymond Green would possibly choose to exit at the same time. With none of the trio looking to slow down anytime soon, fans can be assured that the day that they will have to bid adieu to the Warriors core is not yet on the horizon.