Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson in Manila. –ARNEL TACSON/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Golden State star Klay Thompson, who is in Manila for the first time, showed his support to coach Steve Kerr and Team USA who will try to go all the way in the ongoing 2023 Fiba World Cup here.
During the Anta Squad Asia Tour press conference at Peninsula Manila on Thursday, Thompson rallied behind his Warriors mentor who is currently calling the shots for the Americans in the global competition co-hosted by the Philippines.
“Now that Steve Kerr is here coaching the team, he has to take us out to dinner and he has to pay for it cause he’s out here and he owes us dinner,” Thompson said in jest.
“I’m excited to see him. I’m just rooting for the USA. I know they’re representing our country so well and it’s just awesome to see how global basketball has become, especially here in Manila, seeing every game is packed and seeing how much the fans really love the game is inspiring to me and (Kevon) Looney.”
Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney are in Manila. –ROMMEL FUERTES/Inquirer Sports
Looney was alongside Thompson for the duo’s Asia trip for the brand.
The Americans cruised past Group C, sweeping all of their pool phase games to advance to the next round where they will face their first real test against Lithuania and Montenegro.
According to Thompson, Team USA–which is the only team in the World Cup with a roster of all NBA players–is doing a good job “setting their egos aside” in representing the country.
“Steve is doing a great job and the great thing about Team USA is, the guys put their egos aside. They don’t care who’s scoring, rebounding or stealing, all that matters if you play for Team USA is winning gold and that’s beautiful to see.”
Thompson was a member of Team USA in 2014 and 2016.
The NBA All-Star, however, is currently contemplating playing again on a global scale but not for the USA as he has the Bahamas as one of his options.