Klay Thompson drops touching tribute to celebrate late Michael Jackson's 66th birthday
Klay Thompson has to be a big fan of the late Michael Jackson. The four-time NBA champ had been seen dancing to some of Jackson’s best hits on several occasions. During the Golden State Warriors championship celebration in 2022, Thompson was spotted on the street doing a Jackson impersonation.
Thompson is no longer with the Warriors, having agreed to a three-year, $50 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks in July 2024, he remains a fan of the 13-time Grammy Award-winning artist.
August 29, 2024, would have been Michael Jackson’s 66th birthday. To pay tribute, Klay Thompson took to Instagram to celebrate the “Smooth Criminal” creator. Thompson’s first post featured Jackson dancing to “Billie Jean,” with the new Mavericks captioned his story with:
“Dude was the definition of FLOW STATE”
![Klay Thompso's Michael Jackson story. [photo: @klaythompson/IG]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/08/0229b-17250284244991-1920.jpg?w=500)
The other post was a throwback photo of “The Jackson 5.” Joseph, Michael, Jackie, Marlon, Randy, Tito and Jermaine were all in the picture. The “Beat It” hitmaker was only 16 years old when the group traveled to perform in Africa for the first time.
![Thompson shared an old "The Jackson 5" photo on IG. [photo: @klaythompson/IG]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/08/1e60e-17250285164896-1920.jpg)
The “Billie Jean” steps might be the dance basketball fans associate Thompson with. He busted out the move while walking the streets of San Francisco during the Golden State Warriors’ championship parade. Thompson even had to put down the Larry O’Brien Trophy, so he could entertain the thousands of fans who lined up to see him and the Warriors.
Klay Thompson once danced to “Beat It” during a visit with former boxing champ Manny Pacquiao
After visiting China to promote his Anta shoes, Klay Thompson dropped by the Philippines to meet Golden State Warriors fans. Thompson was with former teammate Kevon Looney when they visited the legendary Filipino boxer, Manny Pacquiao.
Thompson came prepared for the meeting. He wore a “barong,” a national dress of the country he visited. While waiting for Pacquiao, the five-time NBA All-Star decided to do a few “Beat It” steps. Unfortunately for everyone, Thompson stopped once he noticed he was being filmed by someone.
Manny Pacquiao, also an Anta endorser, welcomed the basketball players warmly to his house. Klay Thompson and the eight-division champ even pitted wits in a game of chess.