Klay Thompson to ‘seriously consider’ joining Bahamas national team

Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson said that he will give “serious consideration” to representing the Bahamas men’s national basketball team in the future.

Thompson’s father is Bahamian, so the Warriors star could represent the Bahamas at the upcoming Olympics if he so chooses.

“When that time comes, I will give it serious consideration just because of what The Bahamas meant to the Thompson family, especially my father,” Thompson said.

Thompson has played for Team USA in the past, winning the gold medal in both the 2014 FIBA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. However, he could be looking for a new challenge, especially if he isn’t selected by the United States for the 2024 Olympics.

This would be a great honor from Thompson to his father, who is a former No. 1 overall pick and played for the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers in his NBA career.

“He never had a chance to play for the national team because they just didn’t have the chance back in the ’70s or the ’80s,” Thompson said of his father. “Now my brother [Mychel] is coaching with them which is also very cool.

“But right now, I’m really focused on the [upcoming 2023-24 NBA] season. But when that time comes next summer, I’ll give it consideration.”

The four-time champion gave a major shoutout to Bahamian basketball, especially since the team upset Argentina, one of the best squads in the world.

“When it comes to the Bahamian basketball, I couldn’t be more proud of what they’ve accomplished in the past few weeks especially Chris De Marco, Buddy Hield, Deandre Ayton, Eric Gordon, and the rest of the Bahamians,” Klay Thompson said.

“Those guys had the biggest win in our country’s history as far as beating Argentina twice on their home soil. [It’s] not an easy task. Argentina is one of the best teams in the world, and it’s just gonna do wonders for the country.”

Klay Thompson also shouted out his head coach, Steve Kerr, for his work with Team USA during the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

“Steve is doing a great job and the great thing about when you watch Team USA is the guys put their egos aside,” Klay Thompson said. “They don’t care who leads the team in scoring, in rebounding, and steals. All that matters is when you play for Team USA, it’s winning gold [medal].

“And that’s beautiful to see.”

Klay Thompson and the Warriors won the NBA Finals in the 2021-22 season, but the team came up short in the playoffs last season, losing to the Lakers in the second round.

After dealing with multiple season-ending injuries (torn ACL and ruptured Achilles), Klay Thompson made it through the entire 2022-23 season. That’s a great sign for Warriors fans going forward.

Hopefully, the Warriors sharpshooter can help lead the team to more success before he potentially has to make a decision on which team to play for in the Olympics.