It’s fair to say that Klay Thompson has enjoyed a rather prosperous career. He will go down as one of the Golden State Warriors’ greatest players, having contributed to no fewer than four NBA titles, but despite that accomplishment, one of the greatest shooters in history still harbors intense regret over what might have been.
Thompson recently talked about his “biggest regret” as a basketball player during an appearance on All The Smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on Showtime Basketball.
The decision to replace J.R. [Smith] and Kyrie in that pick-and-roll with Steph was my biggest basketball career regret, according to the player. It’s still on fire.
Warriors supporters will all too well recall the move in question, which occurred late in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. With just 53 seconds left in the season, after the scores had been tied at 89 for more than three minutes, the move allowed Irving a chance at a three-pointer, which he swiftly hit to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a lead they wouldn’t give up.
Klay Thompson’s negative views toward that game were probably not helped much by the fact that he shot 6-17 from the field and 2-10 from 3-point range en route to 14 points, though it should be noted that he had scored 25+ points in each of the three games prior.
The Cavaliers’ first and only title was also the lone blemish in the Warriors dynasty era, which lasted from 2015 to 2018. Of all, winning three out of four championships isn’t terrible, but the Warriors still visibly regret that opportunity they lost.
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