“Kobe comes and sits right next to my dad…I was so starstruck” - Klay Thompson shares an ecstatic moment of dining with his dad and Kobe Bryant
While Klay Thompson is one of the greatest 3-point shooters ever, he is also part of another prestigious NBA club. That being one of the few second-generation players in the league.
In 1978, his father, Mychal Thompson, was drafted first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1978. Following an eight-year stint with the franchise, he went on to spend five seasons with the LA Lakers.
Mychal won two titles during his time in LA, but there are different moments that stand out most to his son.
During a recent appearance on the "All The Smoke" podcast, Klay spoke about a time when he was at a banquet with his father. While they were eating, LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant came and sat down to have a conversation with Mychal.
"This is where I really knew he played the league and he did his thing," Klay said. "It's just us three eating, and Kobe comes and sits right next to my dad. Just Kobe by himself, nobody else.
"I'm like, of all people, you picked to sit with us right now, you pick my pops to talk to. This is crazy. I was so starstruck."
Mychal Thompson gave his son a moment he will never forget
As someone who grew up in the 1990s and 2000s, Klay Thompson likely followed Kobe Bryant's career heavily. During Thompson's teenage years, the Black Mamba was at the peak of his powers, leading the Lakers to multiple championships alongside Shaquille O'Neal.
All this year later, this tiny interaction still sits near and dear to Thompson's heart. Later in the interview, he touched on how it is still one of his all-time favorite moments:
"But I just remember sitting there like I can't believe this was probably at the time. So I was like, I can't believe these two are just chopping it up right now. This is crazy. I'll never forget that memory, like just being there. It was one of the best moment of my life, to be honest."
Comments like this are a testament to how special of a person Kobe Bryant was. Even for someone who has won multiple championships and put on surreal performances, meeting Bryant is something that he will never forget.
It's not every day that a teenager gets to sit down and chat with one of the NBA's all-time greats. Given the impact Bryant had on the league, it's no surprise that Klay feels so highly of the interaction he got to have with him.