Klay Thompson is incensed over his exclusion from NBA 75 team — his
teammates love it
Hanging in Thompson's locker Saturday was a No. 77 practice jersey, a
rib at his place — or lack thereof — on the team
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 15: The Golden State Warriors’
Klay Thompson (right) watches the preseason finale against the Portland
Trailblazers from the bench with Nemanja Bjelica, Friday, Oct. 15, 2021,
at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 15: The Golden State Warriors’
Klay Thompson (right) watches the preseason finale against the Portland
Trailblazers from the bench with Nemanja Bjelica, Friday, Oct. 15, 2021,
at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
By EVAN WEBECK | ewebeck@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: October 23, 2021 at 6:23 p.m. | UPDATED: October 23, 2021 at
6:27 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/10/23/klay-thompson-is-incensed-over-his-exclusion-from-nba-75-team-his-teammates-love-it/

SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson’s teammates are having some fun with his
outrage over being excluded from the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.

Hanging in Thompson’s locker Saturday was a No. 77 practice jersey, a
rib at his place — or lack thereof — on the list, which honored the top
76 players in the league’s first 75 years (there was one tie).

Draymond Green posted a video to Instagram that showed Thompson modeling
the jersey in the weight room.

“77th best player of all time, baby!” Thompson exclaims as Stephen Curry
lets out a belly laugh.

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Warriors on NBCS
@NBCSWarriors
"77th best player of all time, baby!"

Klay rocked the No. 77 jersey Draymond and Steph had made to troll him 🤣

[via @Money23Green / IG]
[video]

4:09 PM · Oct 23, 2021
12.9K 167 Share this Tweet
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Coach Steve Kerr said Curry was the likely culprit of the stunt but that
he could neither confirm nor deny.

“You have to have humor about everything. His teammates obviously got
that done to have a laugh with him,” Kerr said after Saturday practice.
“Some guys latch on to things to drive them. … If that’s what it takes
to make him more competitive, we’ll take it.”

The team was released over the first three nights of the regular season.

Curry’s name appeared in the final group of players announced, but Green
and Thompson were excluded.

Green, for his part, said he was more frustrated over Thompson’s absence.

Thompson agreed.

“Maybe I’m just naive in my ability to play basketball, but in my head
I’m top 75 all time,” Thompson wrote in a message posted to Instagram,
hours after the team was revealed.

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Kerr and Curry, who were both on the panel that determined the team,
said both Green and Thompson deserved a spot among the top 75 (or 76) of
all time.

“Their resumes stack up with anybody in terms of winning, accolades,
everything,” Curry said. “There are some other top-level names that
aren’t on that list, which speaks to how special that top 75 is, but
also how talented this league is. I’ve played with two guys who deserve
to be on that list, as well.

“I think Klay said, ‘fuel for the fire,’” Curry said. “I like that, too.”

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Evan Webeck | Reporter
Evan Webeck covers high-school sports on the field and beyond — and a
little bit of everything else — for the Bay Area News Group. A Pacific
Northwest native and graduate of Arizona State, Evan has previously
worked for The Seattle Times, MLB.com and Sports Illustrated.