Warriors’ Klay Thompson Claps Back at Retirement ‘Report’

Getty Golden State Warriors wing Klay Thompson reacts to a call during Game 3 of the 2022 NBA Finals vs. the Boston Celtics.

After the Golden State Warriors managed to avoid a ring-night letdown, instead beating the LA Lakers 123-109 (in a game that wasn’t really that close), one would hope to feel/see some good vibes during the team’s Thursday media availability. And, for the most part, they were present.

Alas, when Klay Thompson stepped to the podium for his session, it was clear from the outset that something was on his mind. It took him a hot minute to get there but just before making his exit, the five-time All-Star finally unloaded.

“There’s a report out there… I have no intention of retiring in 2024,” he said, unprompted, before taking the unnamed reporter to task.

“If you write some dumb s**t like that, just be held accountable,” Thompson added. “That’s crazy. Just because I didn’t play five-on-five doesn’t mean I’m going to retire. That is absurd. That’s all I got to say.”

So, retirement rumor squashed, I guess — but what exactly was Thompson even referring to? We may just have an idea.

The Source of Klay’s Angst?

On the eve of the Warriors’ season-opening win, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Connor Letourneau made a radio appearance on KNBR. And, well… this is what the Dubs insider had to say about Thompson’s future in doing so:

“The reality is that Klay does have two more years on his deal… I personally would not be shocked if Klay just retired from basketball at the end of that contract [following the 2023-24 campaign].”

It’s worth noting here that Letourneau didn’t actually report anything or attempt to tie the retirement angle back to a source or cite it as an absolute fact. Rather, he offered his take on a scenario that could potentially play out.

That’s not to say that he was pulling something out of thin air, though. Letourneau’s intel on Thompson’s contract situation re: a possible extension informed the scenario that he laid out.

“I don’t think it’s going to be between this season and next season. If he does retire in the near future it would be after his contract ends. He’s had no interest or desire to talk about extensions, even though he is extension eligible right now.”

At any rate, Thompson’s fiery response can probably be chalked up to a simple misunderstanding. As such, Dub Nation can rest easy knowing that A) Klay probably isn’t retiring any time soon and B) team insiders aren’t reporting as much, either.

Klay the Critic

The temperature of Thompson’s scrum wasn’t high for its duration; as is his custom, the baller also veered off the path into areas both lighthearted and wholly unrelated to hoops. On this occasion, that meant some casual film criticism — specifically regarding flicks of the horror variety.

When asked to comment on the Draymond Green mini-doc that aired on TNT ahead of the Lakers game, Thompson deflected by switching the focus to the Parker Finn-helmed horror, Smile, which hit theaters three weeks ago.

His assessment of the movie: not as terrifying as he had hoped.

“The only film I’ve seen lately is Smile and it wasn’t that scary, and it was kind of unoriginal. I mean, it was pretty good — like, I was jumpy. It’s the first movie I’ve seen in
theater in a while. So, I was very grateful for that.”