On Wednesday 7 Jan, Klay Thompson chatted live with fans in China on the Tencent Community page, discussing the Warriors’ chances to pass the Bulls, who wins when he and Steph play 1-on-1 and his beloved bulldog.
Can the Warriors be a dynasty? How many wins do you expect this year?
I think we have the potential to be a dynasty, but we can’t look too far ahead in the future. We gotta focus on having the best record this year for playoff positioning. But if we stay healthy and hungry, why not? We’re a young team, we can be a force to reckoned with for years to come. It’s tough to put a number on wins, because you never know with health and resting guys, but if we’re on this pace, we had 67 last year why not get 70? We’re good enough, and we’ve improved. We have a good chance to do that.
Now that you’ve won a championship, what’s another goal in the NBA?
It’s not the NBA, but I’d love to play in the Olympics one day and win an Olympic gold medal. That’d be really, really cool.
Can you beat the Bulls’ record of 72 wins?
72 wins? That’s a lot of wins. We might be on pace. We can. It’ll be very difficult. It would be a very special feat. I think we can, we’re on such a great flow right now, but you never know with resting guys and injuries. Hopefully we can. If there’s a team to do it in the near future I think it’d be us.
Will you beat the scoring record of 100 points?
Ha – it’d have to take me about 100 shots! I don’t think I’ll ever break that one. I think Wilt’s safe with that one.
What team do you get most excited about playing?
Good question. It’s always fun playing the Spurs because they make you work for everything. You gotta beat them over 48 minutes.
You have to play near mistake-free basketball and it makes you better when you play like that.
How do I become a better shooter? Including 3-point shooting?
Great question. It takes a lot of practice. A lot of commitment. Always hold your follow-through, use your legs and you have to have tremendous confidence.
Which Warriors jersey is your favorite?
My favorite is our Christmas Day uniform! I thought that was a cool blue. I love our Chinese New Year jerseys too! Those are sweet.
Is it a dream of yours to be a great player, like your dad?
It was always a dream of mine to be a pro athlete, baseball football or basketball. He did have a lot of influence on me as far as fundamentals and my love for the game. He showed me the game at a young age. I give him a lot of credit. He taught me the basics and
I ran with it because I loved basketball.
If you come to Chengdu, get a hot pot and roast duck.
Hello! And I do love roast duck. Delicious. Thanks for being my fan!
I’m an animal lover too! How much time do you spend with your dog?
When I’m not at the gym I’m usually hanging with my dog. We like to go to the beach, the park, eat together. He’s a great companion and a great friend.
If Steve Kerr and Steph Curry both fell in the water, who would you save first?
Ha! Ahhhh man, good question. I’ll probably have to go with Steve first, because if I save Steph first, Steve controls the playing time so he’d probably bench me. That’s a tough one. But I’d have to go with coach Kerr so I don’t get benched. [laughs]
What do you think about Kobe’s retirement?
It’s sad to see him go because he’s such a draw in this league and such a great superstar. It’s a tough time for every athlete when you have to leave the game, because you’ve given your life to it. Everybody respects him because of his passion, his competitiveness. He left everything out on the floor. It’s tough to see him go but his legend will never die.
Who wins when you and Steph play 1-on-1?
It really goes back and forth. We haven’t played in a while, but it really goes back & forth. Whoever got more sleep the night before usually has shots falling.
