“I thought about Ginobili”: Klay Thompson and his inspiration to start as an alternate in Golden State

The forward of the Golden State Warriors started from the bench against Utah, broke it down and maintained that the Argentine was his inspiration to play the role of the sixth man: “He has four rings and a gold medal and came off the bench throughout his career”.

After being one of the main pieces in the success of Golden State Warriors in the view of Utah Jazz of 140 to 137 on the last day of NBAthe eaves Clay Thompson -leading scorer of the game with 35 points- referring to his coach’s decision, Steve Kerrof make him start the match as a substitute for the first time since 2012. When explaining what helped motivate him to give his best despite that decision, The basketball player made sure he thought of Manu Ginobili: “He has four rings and a gold medal and has come off the bench his entire career.“.

“I found out in the morning that I was going to leave the bench. We had a good talk about it with the coach and I had two options: pout or get off the field and respond. I think I did the latter and very well tonight. You have to put your ego aside when you come off the bench, so I thought of Manu Ginobili. He has four rings and a gold medal and has come off the bench his entire career.“said the Golden State forward in the post-game press conference.

This isn’t the first time a basketball player who needs to be replaced says he used Ginobili as an inspiration, but one of the best players in the NBA in recent years never ceases to amaze. Expanding on the impact of the Argentine’s career on him as an inspiration when starting as a substitute, Thompson filled it with flowers: “I don’t think anyone would say he doesn’t deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. He’s one of the greats in history and I embraced that idea before the game“.