Klay Thompson’s Father Isn’t Too Excited With Son Playing For Mavericks Instead of Lakers

Klay Thompson surprised everyone with his decision to join the Dallas Mavericks on a three-year, $50 million contract. While many are excited to see him play alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, others are disappointed that he didn’t join the Los Angeles Lakers, including his father Mychal Thompson.

In a telephonic interview with Sirius XM Radio, the Hall of Famer, who spent four seasons with the Lakers and won two titles, revealed he wanted his son to play for the franchise he grew up supporting. He claimed that Klay could’ve followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the 17-time champions.

However, he picked the Mavericks, much to Mychal’s disappointment. Revealing what transpired before Klay made the move, the two-time NBA champion said,

“I was hoping and praying he’d finish his career with the Lakers… He told me the Lakers were talking to him and the Mavs too. Obviously, I tried to sell playing for the Lakers…The franchise has been so good to me and my family, including Klay. He grew up a Lakers fan, idolizing Kobe Bryant like most players his age.” 

Mychal claimed that he often spoke to Klay about playing for the Lakers if he ever left the Warriors. He added that the franchise and the roster were a perfect fit for him. However, the veteran went against his father’s wishes, leaving him disappointed. Moreover, analyst Nick Wright was also unhappy to know Klay’s new destination.

Nick Wright blasted GM Pelinka for his failure to acquire Klay Thompson

Blaming the Lakers General Manager for losing out on the SG, on First Things First, the analyst did not hold back in his criticism of Pelinka. He questioned whether he was even fit to be the Lakers’ GM, saying,

“So what does Rob Pelinka do? Like seriously. You have the greatest player ever [LeBron James] saying, ‘Hey I will take less money if you can land someday… The Dallas Mavericks winning bidding war for a player whose dad is your broadcaster! You can’t sign the coach you try to sign. You can’t land Klay. What does he[Pelinka] do?”

While Western Conference teams have been busy, the Lakers have made no moves since free agency commenced. They failed to nab Thompson or make any other significant moves.

The talent pool has gotten significantly thinner and the franchise will now have to rely on teams showing interest in players on their roster to land one of their targets. It’s been tough sledding for the Lakers and Pelinka’s credibility as a general manager has come under the microscope. However, there is still time and fans are eagerly waiting for the Lakers’ front office to make some crucial decision.

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Nick Kyrgios Reveals Carlos Alcaraz Connection That Makes Novak Djokovic Annoying

After abusing each other in public, it seems Nick Kyrgios has now turned one of his former enemies into a friend. While this holds true when it comes to Novak Djokovic, British broadcaster Piers Morgan is also on that list for the Australian star. In a recent interview with Morgan on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Kyrgios opened up about the 2022 Wimbledon final he played against Djokovic. He then compared that to the one played in the 2023 edition involving Carlos Alcaraz to answer the Brit’s query about what makes the 24-time Grand Slam champion annoying.

Nick Kyrgios is respectful about the aura Wimbledon has on tennis players like him. So had he beaten Novak Djokovic in that final, it would have been the happiest moment of his career. However, on the day, the 7-time Wimbledon champion was just outstanding.

After losing the first set, Djokovic played a near-flawless game in the next 3 sets to deny the Australian his first Grand Slam title. While Kyrgios doesn’t mind the loss now, knowing full well that he lost to a legend, he used his wit and sense of humor to move to the 2023 final smoothly.

In 2023, Novak Djokovic faltered in a 5-set match against Carlos Alcaraz. Nick Kyrgios believes that unlike 2022, Djokovic played ‘average’ against Alcaraz and hilariously wished that the Serb played at that level against him in 2022.

The mercurial Aussie also added that Carlos Alcaraz is meant to win more Grand Slams as it is, so why didn’t Novak Djokovic spare him? It left Piers Morgan in splits too.

“He (Djokovic) is so annoying. He let Alcaraz win Wimbledon and didn’t let me win Wimbledon. Alcaraz was always gonna win more Grand Slams, but he could’ve given me one.

“Alcaraz was always gonna win one, and he (Djokovic) decides to play pretty average in that one and play ‘lights out’ against me. ‘Thanks Novak, yeah, appreciate it,” Kyrgios was quoted as saying in the interview.

Kyrgios’ complaint against Djokovic was actually a praise directed at the Serb. The duo have grown very fond of each other, so much so that the Australian, in recent years, changed his GOAT from Roger Federer to Novak Djokovic.

Nick Kyrgios Talks Up Novak Djokovic in Front of Serb’s Nemesis Piers Morgan

Nick Kyrgios looks to have spent more time with Novak Djokovic and has understood him well, which is what made him keep aside his old beef with him. Djokovic is grateful for Kyrgios for being one of the few unexpected people back in 2022 to defend him in public when he was being slammed for his take on not being vaccinated and being denied a chance by the Australian government to play at the Australian Open that year.

Coming back to the interview, Nick Kyrgios acknowledged the fact that Roger Federer, highly popular as he is, remains the best ever player to watch. However, Djokovic is the greatest since his hunger for winning, even at this age, is unreal.

In fact, Kyrgios did not hesitate to call Djokovic amongst the greatest athletes the history of sport has ever had, despite Morgan being shocked with that statement and interjecting him. The Australian had a lot to say on that before Morgan could move on to the next part of the interview.

“The prettiest to watch is Federer. The best to ever pick up a racquet is Novak.

“Tennis is different from other sports because of the intangibles involved. The constant travel from one place to another, which means adapting to different time zones each week, you don’t know when and where you are going to travel next. So to manage your diet and mind accordingly, takes a lot and that is where Novak is incredible,” Kyrgios was quoted as saying.

At Wimbledon 2024, it would be interesting to see if Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic collaborate for a broadcast segment or a social media activity.

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Fernando Alonso Shares Incredible Achievement as His Pupils Stand at the Top Step

Fernando Alonso has not had many moments of celebration in the latter half of his career, largely due to a lack of competitive machinery underneath him. However, he feels immense pride in sharing the achievements of those he has trained. The Spaniard recently took to Instagram to congratulate his pupils, Nikola Tsolov, Josep Pepe Marti, and Gabriel Bortoleto on the impressive results they achieved in Austria.

All these drivers are part of A14 Management, a driver management company Alonso co-founded to help young drivers on their path to achieving long-term success in motorsport.

On his Instagram story, Alonso shared a celebratory post by the Spanish media platform DAZN. The post highlighted what Alonso’s pupils had achieved during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend in their respective Formula 2 and Formula 3 campaigns.

The 42-year-old simply captioned the story, “What a weekend for @a14management drivers.”

Fernando Alonso is delighted with the incredible achievements of his academy drivers in Spielberg. pic.twitter.com/DeOYxLke1f

— Formula World (@F1_Grand_Prix) July 1, 2024

And what a weekend it indeed was for his drivers. Nikola Tsolov secured his second Sprint win of the Formula 3 season after winning the first Sprint in Monaco. Pepe Marti secured a second-place finish in the Formula 2 Sprint race whereas Gabriel Bortoleto finished fourth followed by a victory in the Feature race.

It seems like being part of the A14 management has indeed helped these drivers on their way to the pinnacle of motorsport.

What was Fernando Alonso’s vision behind A14 Management?

The motorsport landscape has changed dramatically since Alonso arrived at the highest level of racing. And this is why he created the Driver Academy back in March of 2022. A14 management recognizes that becoming a successful racing driver in the modern era requires much more than just raw speed and car control.

While these remain fundamental, Alonso takes a holistic approach to driver development, focusing on optimizing skills both on and off the track. This multifaceted strategy is designed to create well-rounded athletes who are prepared for all aspects of a professional racing career.

Fin de semana jodido para A14 Management.

Desde F3 con Tsolov a Alonso en F1 pasando por Bortoleto y Pepe en F2.

Lo peor del deporte. pic.twitter.com/sMIpCvDUNu

— NanoGrifo (@NanoGrifo) March 24, 2024

The goal of the academy is to spot young talents right from their days in karting and helping them along their journey. Speaking of karting, the Spaniard also has a karting track of his own as part of the Fernando Alonso Sports Complex which he revealed in March 2011 in front of 4000 people.

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Paul George Opt-Ing Out Dubbed ‘Best-Case Scenario’ for Clippers Fans by NBA Insider

The Paul George situation is the biggest thing in the transfer market right now. The Clippers star has been in negotiation with his team for the better part of a year now but is still struggling to conclude. Recently, NBA Insider Chris Haynes talked about PG-13 and explained why he did the right thing by opting out. He also detailed the possible course of action for the 34-year-old and the team that’s the frontrunner to sign him.

Haynes added that if George didn’t opt out of the current Clippers situation, that would have made it worse in the near future. He said,

“This is the best-case scenario for Clippers fans because if he would have opted in, there was going to be a trade request soon to follow.”

"This is the best-case scenario for Clippers fans because if he would have opted in, there was going to be a trade request soon to follow."@ChrisBHaynes talks Paul George becoming an unrestricted free agent pic.twitter.com/mBngHPm2SB

— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 30, 2024

Now that he has opted out, Haynes believes that it will allow George to assess his options and then come to a conclusion. The NBA Insider also unveiled why George’s contract negotiations didn’t bear any result.

He said that the nine-time NBA All-Star is looking for a max, four-year contract while the Clippers organization is only willing to offer him a contract for the next three years. In that scenario, other teams such as the Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers become more vital for PG-13.

Haynes added that the 76ers are willing to meet every demand of Paul George if he agrees to sign with them. The Philly franchise is open to offering a four-year contract as per his liking and that will also be a change for him in terms of competition. Additionally, hours before the update from Haynes, Adrian Wojnarowski also reported on the Paul George situation.

Adrian Wojnarowski lists out Paul George’s options

The 34-year-old has plenty to offer to any team he will be a part of in the next season. As of now, the only thing that’s holding his deal with the Clippers is his demand for a four-year contract.

On the flip side, if he takes the three-year contract and stays in LA, he will take a $68 million hit. However, based on his options, George might not have to worry about losing that money as other teams are lining up to offer a deal based on his demands. Woj said,

“Philadelphia, out in the marketplace, Orlando, to an extent, out in the marketplace for him, can offer him that fourth year.”

Another team that has slowly climbed up the ranks in the last week is the Golden State Warriors. The Dub Nation might soon be parting ways with Klay Thompson and Paul George seems to be the perfect candidate to fill the vacant spot. What do you think will be his next destination?

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“It Will Happen Again”: Martin Brundle Displeased by Max Verstappen’s Conduct After Lando Norris Crash

The friendship between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen went for a toss during the Austrian GP. Both drivers fought each other fiercely for the race lead while Verstappen was ahead. In the process, they collided with each other, resulting in a puncture for both drivers. The FIA stewards found the Dutchman responsible for the crash that resulted in the end of the Briton’s race.

The ruling body also slapped the reigning champion with a 10-second time penalty, which he was made aware of by his race engineer after the chequered flag. Verstappen had a differing opinion from the stewards and refused to take responsibility for the incident. Red Bull boss Christian Horner sided with his driver as well and let his dissent known.

Speaking on the team radio, Verstappen said, “That’s just ridiculous. He [Norris] can’t just send it left and right. What do you want me to do?” To this, Horner replied, “He didn’t behave correctly there Max. Desperately unlucky, especially here, but you did your very best.”

The attitude in the Red Bull camp did not please Martin Brundle, though. The former F1 driver and Sky F1 commentator, during the broadcast, said, “The trouble is if you approach it like that, it will happen again, won’t it? I don’t agree with that.”

“The entire population of the world would know who is responsible except for a group of people. We have so much respect for Red Bull and Max, they don’t need to do this.”

Andrea Stella’s words about the incident between Lando and Max pic.twitter.com/PnSYq19HQz

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 30, 2024

The collision between Verstappen and Norris handed George Russell the race lead. Russell eventually won the race ahead of Norris’ McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

Verstappen, meanwhile, rejoined the race in P5 after a pit stop and ended the race in the same position. The 10-second time penalty had no impact as the Dutchman was comfortably ahead of Nico Hulkenberg, who finished sixth.

Lando Norris ready to end friendship with Max Verstappen

Verstappen has time and again reiterated how close he is to Norris. The Dutchman has gone as far as calling Norris his best friend among all the drivers in F1.

Norris too has responded similarly whenever asked about the same. Their bond transcends their love for motorsport as they are often spotted partying together or getting together for a game of padel. That, however, might come to an end if Verstappen refuses to take responsibility for the crash in Austria.

Speaking with Sky Italia after the race, the #4 driver said, “Will the friendship between Max and me end? I don’t know, it will depend on him and how he explains: if he claims to be right, it will be over. If he admits that he did something stupid, then I will understand.”

As heard on the team radio, Verstappen has refused to take responsibility for the crash. Speaking after the race, he was adamant that he did not move under the braking. However, the Red Bull driver admitted it was something he was guilty of in the past, but he refused to believe he did something similar this time.

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