On Thursday, the Western Conference All-Star reserves were announced, and Golden State Warriors fans were delighted to see Klay Thompson‘s name on that list. This is Thompson’s first All-Star selection, and he, along with fellow Splash Brother Stephen Curry, will be representing the Warriors in New York City at the 2015 All-Star Game.
Behind yet another Western Conference Player of the Week selection and a historic 37-point quarter last week, Thompson was gaining momentum towards being named an All-Star.
Many fans believed that Thompson was more than deserving of an All-Star selection, but he had to compete with other extremely talented and qualified Western Conference guards such as James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Damian Lillard, and Mike Conley for a spot. Out of those players, Harden, Westbrook, Paul, and Thompson were named All-Stars.
Thompson often focuses on the accomplishments of the team and not his own accomplishments, but he was clearly very humbled and proud to be named a Wester Conference All-Star, as he spoke with Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle and other reporters after practice yesterday.
"“It means a lot, just because it’s a big reward for all of the hard work I’ve been putting in,” Thompson said. “It’s cool just to the have the label “NBA All-Star.” It means you are among the elite in the world.“It’s a dream come true, honestly.”"
Before Thompson’s selection was made official, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr weighed in on the matter and said that Thompson was deserving of a spot on the Western Conference All-Star roster because of his production this season but also because of the Warriors’ success as a team, also reported by Simmons.
"“Klay deserves it,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “I’ve always felt, long before I came to Golden State, that the best teams deserve the benefit of the doubt. If there are two players who are equally deserving, and one team is (36-7) and the other isn’t, then you reward winning. That’s the whole point of why we’re here. We’re competing.“Players who put up stats are really good. Players who put up stats and help their teams win a ton of games are All-Stars. That should absolutely put Klay in the game. I don’t know how a team with our record can have only one All-Star. That would seem criminal.”"
Many of Thompson’s teammates on the Warriors were thrilled to see him be named to the All-Star team, especially Curry, who, along with Thompson, will be competing in the Three-Point Contest during the NBA All-Star Saturday night festivities.
Let's GOOOOOOOOOO! Congrats @KlayThompson making the All-Star team! Big time accomplishment my man. Going to be fun in NYC #splashbrothers
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) January 30, 2015
Along with Curry, several other teammates and figures in the Warriors organization congratulated Thompson on this feat.
Congrats to @KlayThompson for making the Allstar team !!! #dubnation
— Marreese Speights (@Mospeights16) January 30, 2015
Congrats to @KlayThompson on his first #NBAAllStar selection. @warriors will be well-represented w/ the #SplashBrothers, @SteveKerr & staff!
— Rick Welts (@RickWelts) January 30, 2015
Will Thompson start for the Western Conference alongside Curry? He is certainly deserving, so we’ll see if Kerr decides to start him over Harden.