Klay Thompson retracts his statement and points out why bandwagon fans are actually good for the Golden State Warriors
Klay Thompson is now embracing the bandwagon fans
© John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Star guard Klay Thompson caught the fury of Golden State Warriors supporters when he called out bandwagon fans, noting that they don’t deserve to represent the Dubs. But, less than 24 hours after his stinging comments, Thompson backpedaled.
Klay now loves bandwagon fans
From the look of it, Thompson was just blinded by his emotions when he dissed bandwagon fans. He was merely stepping up in defense of Nemanja Bjelica, the Serbian big man who has received criticism for his inconsistent play over the last few games. After reflecting on it, and perhaps after receiving a lecture from the team’s public relations officer, Thompson has no more ill feelings towards bandwagoners. In fact, he even believes attracting new fans means they’re doing something right.
“Bandwagon fans are a good thing. That means you have turned people over to your style of play. So sorry if I offended anybody. That was not my intention. We welcome all Warrior fans from around the globe,” Thompson said, per his Instagram account.
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The fact that Thompson’s statement received an ample amount of backlash confirms that there is indeed a hoard of bandwagoners in the Golden State. Up to a certain extent, it’s already common knowledge. The Warriors aren’t exactly like the Boston Celtics or the Los Angeles Lakers, who have a deep winning culture even though that has changed in recent years.
Little bursts of success
They did achieve success in the mid-50s and mid-70s under the guidance of star players Paul Arizin and Rick Barry, respectively. They also gained a cult following in the late 90s with the trio of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin. This was somehow replicated in the mid-2000s “We Believe” squad, which ousted the powerhouse Dallas Mavericks squad in the playoffs.
Only in the last few years have the Warriors franchise been considered one of the elites. In between these bursts of success, Warriors stadiums weren’t packed. Klay experienced this in his first few years, donning the Warriors jersey. Perhaps he was a bit reminiscent of those times when people bought tickets just to see the young Warriors grow. Wins, losses, or individual performances didn’t matter that much.
Now that the team is back in contention, fans have raised their standards. So much so that whenever they see a player make a trivial mistake, they can’t help but vent out their negative thoughts. Sometimes directly at the player in question.
Now that Thompson has rescinded his statement and offered a new one, it’s time to focus on the bigger picture: the NBA championship.
