"He Should Have Retired A Warrior": Mike Bibby Slams Klay Thompson's Career Decision

Just three years ago, Klay Thompson was celebrating the fourth NBA championship of his career. Now, he is a long way from the mountaintop as he plays limited minutes in the reserve unit of a struggling team.

The NBA world has seen how Thompson’s career has gone through some bumps in recent years, and not a few fans and analysts have commented on this trajectory. For Mike Bibby, a former lottery pick who has taken on the role of podcaster, Thompson should have stayed with the squad that he started with.

“I’m still upset at the Warriors for letting him go,” Bibby said on an episode of “Straight Game Podcast,” which he co-hosts with Eddie House and Ty Ellis. “That’s one of those guys that you keep forever.”

For 11 seasons, Thompson thrilled the Golden State fanbase as he formed the incomparable Splash Brothers duo with Steph Curry. Though the Warriors' dynasty saw certain players come and go (including, but not limited to, Kevin Durant), the core of Thompson, Curry, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala kept coach Steve Kerr’s system humming smoothly over the years.

But, in the 2023-24 season, the 6-foot-5 sharpshooter’s scoring production and three-point percentage took a significant hit. Feeling unsatisfied with his performance, Thompson sought a change of scenery to revitalize his career. In the offseason that followed, he was shipped to the Dallas Mavericks as part of a sign-and-trade deal.

However, during his first season with the Mavs, Thompson achieved marginal improvement in his field goal percentage from deep and declined even further in his scoring average. This season, Mavs head coach Jason Kidd has relegated him to the bench; thus far, Thompson has played four games as part of the Mavs’ second unit.

Taking all of this into account, Bibby made a definitive statement on Thompson’s major career decision.

“He should have retired a Warrior,” Bibby said.

If Thompson had stayed in the Bay Area, would he have been able to bounce back and become a respectable offensive threat once more? There is no way to answer this for sure, but Bibby’s comment goes to show that Thompson’s legacy with the Warriors has come to define him as a professional athlete.