The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

MYCHAL ‘Sweet Bells’ Thompson, the first Bahamian and international player to be selected as the No.1 pick in the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s draft in 1978, remembered when he suffered a broken leg in a pickup game at the AF Adderley Gymnasium.

Now he’s reliving those days as he watches for the second consecutive year, his second son, Klay Thompson, have to sit out an entire season because of a leg injury - first tearing the ACL in his left knee in June during the NBA Finals and now he’s back before he got back with a torn right Achilles tendon in a pick-up game in California. “It’s tough, very frustrating, very disappointing, very sad. You’re going through all of the emotions,” Thompson told The Tribune. “It’s a part of life. We all face hurdles and obstacles that we go through. This is just another one. The only thing you can do is face it and battle through it. It’s the only choice you have.”

If his son had his choice, Thompson said he would be looking forward to teaming up with the awesome backcourt with Stephen Curry and the addition of Andrew Wiggins as the Golden State Warriors made a resurgence to get back to the NBA Finals.

But instead, he said yet again, his son will have to face the reality that he will have to wait another year before he can play again.

“He’s a little down about it. He was excited to get the season going, but he has the attitude that he’s going to work hard to come back,” Thompson said.

“That’s the choice he is going to make.”

As a father, who clinched back-to-back NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1987 and 88, said he would have liked to see his son his 30-year-old son go after his fourth title after surpassing him with three, having won with the Warriors consecutively in 2017 and 18, adding to the initial one in 2015.

“It’s something that thousands of players around the world go through, getting injured every year. I did it when I broke my leg, so he just has to be patient and work hard and have faith and he will come back,” said Thompson, who has two other sons, Mychel Thompson Jr and Trayce.

“He just has to believe and the faith that he can come back. He just has to work hard. That’s all you can do, believe that the rehab will work and you have to stick with it.”

In 1979 during a pick up game at the AF Adderley Gymnasium, Thompson suffered a broken tibia in his left leg that kept him out for the season. But remarkably, it wasn’t that severe that he couldn’t get back on the hardcourt.

“When I went down with my injury, I got into physical training, weight lifting, building my body up before I couldn’t run at the time,” Thompson recalled. “I just worked on developing my upper body.”

At the time, Thompson was in the midst of an eight-year journey with the Portland Trail Blazers, who had selected him as the top pick in the draft in 1978 out of the University of Minnesota. The 6-foot, 10-inch centre was eventually traded to the San Antonio Spurs in 1986.

Midway during the season, Thompson had to pack his bags again as he was traded to the Lakers to back up Kareem Abdul- Jabbar and defend Boston Celtics forward Kevin McHale. In addition to winning the two titles, Thompson also helped the Lakers to get to the Finals again in 1989 before he retired in 1991.

Already established now as the fourth father-son combo to win to have each won an NBA Championship as a player in the history of the sport, Thompson said it’s all about Klay returning to the Warriors’ lineup.

Golden State was considered a favourite to give the Lakers a run this season in the Western Conference, but Thompson said his son’s injury will certainly change the landscape of the Warriors’ projection.

“They are not as good of a team without Klay, but they still have a good team,” he said. “Knowing Steph and Draymond (Green) and coach Steve Kerr, they are going to work hard to prove to everybody that they can make the playoffs without Klay. So I expect them to be very competitive this year.”

Putting all family sentimentalism aside, Thompson is focused on his former team coming out of the NBA completed season in the bubble in Orlando, Florida in October and successfully defending their title when the new season starts on December 22. “As long as they have a healthy Anthony Davis and LeBron James, they will always be the team to beat,” he said.

“Arguably, they will put a great team around them as they did last year. But as long as Anthony and LeBron are healthy, they will be the team to beat.”

In the aftermath of this year’s draft on Wednesday night, a lot of wheeling and dealing has already begun with the start of the free agency period on Friday night. But Thompson said no matter who goes where, the buck will still stop in Los Angeles.

“The toughest competition for the Lakers in the West will be Denver (Nuggets) and probably Dallas (Mavericks),” he said. “In the East, Milwaukee (Bucks) and Philadelphia (76ers) will be good and Miami (Heat) proved that they will be a tough team next year.”

At the age of 65, Thompson is now into his 17th season as radio announcer for the Lakers’ games, something he enjoys doing.

“I love what I do and God’s willing, I want to continue doing it for ten more years,” he stated. “It goes by fast when you are having so much fun.”

Back to Klay’s injury, Thompson said he appreciated all the love and support that he and his family have received from the Bahamian people.

“We’ve been getting a lot of calls, wishing him the best, so we thank everybody in the Bahamas for supporting him the way they do,” he said.

And to the Bahamian people as we continue to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, Thompson had one simple message.

“It’s tough, but we have to continue looking out for each other,” he said. “We have to continue wearing our masks, keep each other safe and have faith that we will pull through this as a nation and as a planet. With the vaccine coming on stream very soon, I believe 2021 will be a much better year.”

Hopefully his son, Klay, will also be back in uniform for the Warriors, or at least in the NBA.