Klay Thompson on his father trying to convince him to sign with the Lakers: "I've been in Cali my whole life; I gotta experience something new"

Klay Thompson spoke as a member of the Dallas Mavericks for the first time on Tuesday. Among the topics that were asked of him was his dad, Mychal , doing his best to sell the Los Angeles Lakers to him.

According to Klay , he perfectly understood where his father was coming from. However, he said that at 34, it was the right time for him to step outside his comfort zone and take on new challenges.

"Yeah, my dad was disappointed," Thompson said . "But at the end of the day, he was happy for me. He was a little selfish in his business interest because he wanted me at home with the family."

He wanted Klay to finish his career at home

Mychal. played for the Lakers from 1987-991 and was there when the Showtime Lakers won back-to-back NBA championships during the 1987 and 1988 seasons. The older Thompson relocated his family to Los Angeles in 2003 when he started working as the Lakers color commentator, a job he still holds today.

In an interview, the former No.1 pick of the 1978 NBA Draft said that he tried his best to sell the Lakers to Klay. Mychal admitted that 'it was close,' but his son ultimately chose Dallas, leaving him disappointed . That feeling has now turned to excitement, per Klay.

"I was like, 'Dad, I've been in California my whole life," added Klay. "I got to experience something new.' So he understood and he's actually really excited for me and he thinks we have a great shot to do something special here."

Klay is a great fit with Luka and Kai

The sharpshooting guard will wear jersey No. 31 for the Dallas Mavericks, who won the Western Conference last season behind the dynamic scoring duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The four-time NBA champion says he and Kai are good friends , and Luka has already reached out to him.

"He texted me saying how excited he is & I relayed the feeling. I think there's definitely a mutual respect there... He's someone who's not afraid of the moment & competes until the end. I think we'll be able to bring the best out of each other," continued Thompson.

Doncic and Irving are two of the best one-on-one scorers in the NBA today. But in the 2024 NBA Finals, they didn't have a consistent three-point threat that complimented their game. Now, they have one-half of the Splash Brothers. And that has the Mavs as excited as their fans are.

Related: Klay Thompson says that sometimes breakups are bound to happen: "I remember when Scottie Pippen came to the Blazers"