Klay Thompson was ejected for the first time in his career as his Golden State Warriors side lost a volatile encounter with the Phoenix Suns.
Klay Thompson : Ejected | Ejection | Devin booker
Klay Alexander Thompson is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 8, 1990 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
A four-time NBA champion with the Warriors, he is a five-time NBA All-Star, a two-time All-NBA Third Team honoree and was once named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
He has also won gold medals with the United States national team on their 2014 World Cup team and 2016 Olympic team.
Klay Thompson Ejected
The Phoenix Suns clinched a convincing 134-105 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night in a game that featured Klay Thompson’s first career ejection and seven technical fouls.
Devin Booker scored 34 points and Deandre Ayton added 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Suns.
“I thought emotionally, we kept it together when it was starting to get a little squirrelly,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “We were able to make enough plays during that time where we could get back to solid.”
At one point during the argument, Thompson held up four fingers to signify the four championships the Warriors have won over the past decade. Those rings didn’t help on Tuesday. The veteran guard finished with two points on 1-for-8 shooting, including 0 of 5 from three-point range.
It was the five-time All-Star’s first career ejection in 651 regular season games.
“I love Klay Thompson, I have for a really long time,” Booker said. “But that doesn’t excuse us from being competitive and talking to each other. I’ve always admired his game, how he plays on both sides of the ball, and obviously the rings speak for themselves. But I’m going to bring it every time.”
Ejection
The 32-year-old received two technical fouls in quick succession after getting into an argument with Phoenix’s Devin Booker. After the first technical, Thompson kept jawing from across the floor, needing to be restrained by Warriors personnel.
He eventually turned his verbal sparring toward referee Ed Malloy, who issued Thompson his second technical that sent him to the locker room.
On his way there, Thompson continued his outburst, yelling and gesturing toward the Suns’ bench.
Tuesday was Thompson’s 651st career regular season game, so it’s an impressive streak that came to an end. The ejection was a fitting end to an overall frustrating night for the five-time All-Star, who finished shooting just 1-for-8 from the floor with two points and two assists.
It’s been a slow start to the season for Thompson so far. Through four games played, he’s shooting 35.6% from the field and just 28.6% on three-point attempts.
Devin booker
For the first time in his career, Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson was ejected from Tuesday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns.
Thompson got into it with Devin Booker, and was ejected after receiving his second technical foul. It was a rough night for Thompson, who finished with just two points, and it ended early after his first career ejection.
After the game, Booker talked about his level of respect for Klay Thompson during his on-court interview. During his post-game press conference, Booker was asked for the details of his verbal battle with Thompson, and shared some of what was said.
“Just two competitors. In my postgame interview I said it. I love Klay Thompson, I have for a really long time. But that doesn’t excuse us being competitive and talking to each other. I’ve always admired his game, how he plays on both sides of the ball. Obviously the rings speak for themselves… He was having a tough night, I think everything plays into that.
Just frustration, I’ve been there before. They have four rings, and they’re gonna use that in all their trash talk. And rightfully so. Respectfully. But that doesn’t have nothing to do with competing.”
Booker confirmed that Thompson used the four rings rebuttal during their trash talk, but shared his respect for both Thompson and his team. At the end of the day, these interactions happen amongst competitors, and that is what Booker is chalking it up to.