After the Golden State Warriors’ disappointing season last year, few NBA fans likely shared Klay Thompson’s optimism.

Klay Thompson discussed the team’s continued motivation to win a title on an episode of Podcast P. He is certain that the club can win another championship.

After winning four championships as a trio, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are an unbeatable core. However, the squad can only go as far as Steph Curry’s health allows them to, as both Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have already begun to deteriorate as players. There is no denying that time is running out for another Golden State Warriors championship run.

“The first time I played against him, it was such a beautiful moment for me” – Klay Thompson chooses his favorite moment playing against Kobe Bryant

The first time Klay Thompson faced Kobe Bryant as a rookie was his favorite moment in the NBA. The Dubs shooter recently interviewed fellow star Paul George on his podcast “Podcast P” to talk about playing against one of their heroes.

I remember the very first time I faced up against him. There aren’t many guys in the game that could make a rookie star-struck, but he was one of them. I was like, “Man, I can’t believe I’m guarding you. I’ve followed your entire career, including that time you won the Slam Dunk Contest by going for 80 points. When you’re on watch for guys like that, you push yourself tremendously. To me, it was a perfect moment. I was also on my game back then. When you’re a rookie, scoring 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting is like making 35. I’m hoping Kobe saw how well I shot the ball. I’ll always remember that, Klay remarked.

Background on the pairBefore the Los Angeles Lakers legend’s retirement in 2016, Bryant and Thompson faced off 12 times. Despite playing each other mostly at the tail end of Kobe’s heyday and the beginning of Klay Thompson’s, Bryant holds a slim 7-5 edge in their head-to-head confrontations. Kobe outperformed Thompson in every оffensive category, highlighting the disparity in their careers at this point.

According to Thompson’s recollection, the Black Mamba scored 39 points and dished out seven assists in their first meeting. Later that season, Bryant outscored his contemporaries by a margin of 40 points.

Klay’s favorite memory isn’t of scoring his career high against his idol, but rather of finally getting to play beside him on the court after years of waiting for him at the airport after games.

Treasured recollectionsThe now-seasoned veteran, who has played in five All-Star games and won four rings since he was a rookie in 2012, will surely never forget this occasion.

Klay was undoubtedly more devastated than most by the news of Bryant’s deаth in a helicopter crаsh in early 2020, but unlike many of the milliоns who mourned, he took solace in having shared special memories with Kobe on the court.