- Klay Thompson arrived at the Hamptons for the Golden State Warriors pivotal free agency meeting with Kevin Durant earlier than the rest of the team's representatives.
- So Thompson treated himself to a relaxing vacation of beach visits, kicking a soccer ball around, and playing tennis.
In the summer of 2016, the key players of the Golden State Warriors had what was one of the biggest meetings of their professional lives, a meeting with Kevin Durant that would go on to alter the course of NBA history. But for Warriors guard Klay Thompson, it was also a chance to get in a great vacation.
"I got there a day early," Thompson told Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, in a recent oral history of the Warriors meeting with Durant in the Hamptons.
"Got to the beach. I was (in New York City) for Team USA Basketball, so I had a couple days. Just enjoying vacation. It was nice out there, man."
As Warriors Assistant General Manager Kirk Lacob told Kawakami, "When we landed, turns out he’d had the most fun day of all-time . . . He’d gone to the beach by himself, rode a bike to the beach. And by the time we got there, he was kicking soccer balls at the house, I think with a gardener at the house."
Thompson even got in some quality tennis time.
"It was fun, man," he told Kawakami. "I love tennis. Never played on a grass court. That was pretty high class. That was cool."
However, when asked where he found someone to play tennis with, Thompson responded, in classic Klay Thompson fashion, "Man, I can barely remember. That was so long ago."
Of course, Thompson's recreational activities did not get in the way of business. Golden State's pitch to Durant was successful, he signed with the team, and now the Warriors look set to win their second straight title since Durant joined the team.
