Klay Thompson disappointed own father with NBA decision as legend speaks out

Klay Thompson's decision to spurn Golden State Warriors for the Dallas Mavericks not only disappointed Warriors fans but also his father, Mychal .

Mychal Thompson is a Los Angeles Lakers legend. He was one of the key members of those "Showtime" Lakers teams that featured Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and other stars of that era. With the Lakers, Mychal won two NBA championships, in 1986-87 and 1987-88, and solidified himself as one of the integral pieces of those Johnson-led teams.

The younger Thompson, meanwhile, grew up in Southern California and frequently recounted going to the then-Staples Center to watch Kobe Bryant and the Lakers do battle in the Western Conference. Klay has even mentioned how he idolized Bryant, as someone from the Orange County-Los Angeles area.

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Considering the Thompson's strong ties to the Lakers - with the elder Thompson being a radio analyst for the Lakers - it seemed a good bet that Klay would be a Laker. Instead, the four-time NBA champion looked past Los Angeles to head to Dallas on a sign-and-trade that netted him a three-year, $50 million contract, which left his father feeling somewhat upset by the decision.

" I'm really disappointed. I was hoping, as you can assess, that he would be a Laker. And it was close," Mychal said during a SiriusXM NBA Radio appearance, per ESPN . " It came down to the Lakers and the Mavs, but the Mavs won out. But you know me, I was hoping and praying he'd finish his career with the Lakers."

When Klay first told his father the Lakers were courting him, Mychal did what he could to sell playing for Los Angeles because of his history with the franchise. "Obviously that's the right thing for me to do and the proper thing for me to do. And I felt like it was the correct thing for me to do because I really believe in this franchise," the 69-year-old continued.

"The franchise has been so good to me and my family, including Klay. He grew up a Laker fan. He grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant like most players his age, most kids his age. So I just thought it seemed like it would be the perfect fit for him to finally come back home."

Mychal added whenever the two would talk about where Klay would play if it wasn't for the Warriors, the 34-year-old always came to the conclusion he would play for the Lakers. And considering how embedded he and his family are with the Lakers, it just made sense.

In the end, Mychal believes Klay made the decision that he felt was the best for him at this time, even if it did disappoint him.

"But he had a chance, and when the chance came, he chose the Mavericks instead. And I'll live with it. I accept it and I'm happy for him that he's happy with his decision. But yeah, of course I tried to sell him on the Lakers," Mychal concluded.

Klay's shock decision to leave the Warriors for other teams seemingly was something he had been thinking about even before the free agency period . The guard was so intent on leaving the only franchise he had ever known that he even requested that Warriors star Stephen Curry stay out of the negotiations so that Klay could leave freely.

His departure effectively ended the Warriors dynasty , which won four championships in eight years. Additionally, the famous "Splash Brothers" moniker is no more, with Curry remaining on the Warriors and Klay on the Mavericks.