Klay Thompson roasted Draymond Green as both NBA veterans attended Capital One’s The Match golf competition in which the former participated in.
Thompson, alongside Golden State Warriors teammate Stephen Curry took on two-time NFL Super Bowl champions Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce in the fourth iteration of the program at the Wynn Golf Club in Paradise, Nevada. The televised broadcast featured various athletes and celebrities in attendance, including Green.
Fans of Curry, Thompson, and Green understand the tight-knit bond between the core of the Warriors dynasty, who have won four NBA championships together. With that level of comfort comes the jokes and playful energy they always display with each other on and off the court.
TNT’s cameras were on Green at nearly any moment there was a lull in the match, making for exciting television as he was caught multiple times talking trash to his teammates and Charles Barkley, who provided analysis and commentary for the event.
Mahomes and Kelce won the score with a score of three to two, edging out Curry, who is known for his passion, enthusiasm, and skill for golf. However, some would argue that the fun of them roasting each other during the “Hot Seat” press conference was just as entertaining as the match itself.
During the presser, Mahomes asked, “I wanna know if you will have a 3-point shooting contest; who is winning?” Thompson instantly said that he would bet on himself to win the competition. Throughout his NBA career thus far, Thompson has broken records as the only player in NBA history to record multiple games with 12 or more 3-pointers in a season.
Quickly after, Curry responded with the same answer, indicating that he would also select himself to win the contest. Curry’s laundry list of shooting accolades is headlined by having the most made three-pointers in NBA history with 3,390, the most seasons leading the league in three-pointers made with seven, and first all-time for leading the league in three-pointers made in a single season with 402.
Green has no personal shooting accolades that the “Splash Brothers” have accomplished, but he still held the belief he would beat them both. That is where the jokes came in.
“I could beat both of them,” said Green to the panel, as they instantly laughed at the notion. Thompson quickly chimed in, saying, “This man almost lost to Kevin Hart,” causing Curry and the panel to laugh hysterically.
Curry and Thompson encountered each other in back-to-back 3-point contests in 2015 and 2016. Curry won the first, and Thompson won the second. Curry went on to win the tournament again without Thompson participating in 2021.
On the other hand, Green faced Hart during the 2016 NBA All-Star weekend festivities, where they shot in an impromptu 3-point competition before the official match. Green shot the ball first, as Andrew Wiggins, Paul Milsap, and DeMar DeRozan sat in attendance to witness his poor performance of just 12 threes made.
Hart shot better than expected, tying Green’s effort of 12 made threes, with the last one coming as the buzzer sounded. Speculative rumors suggested that Hart won the competition, with the NBA not counting his last shot at the buzzer to win, to continue their final payoff of presenting Green with a gigantic trophy and awarding Hart with a small - play on his stature compared to the NBA champion.
Green recently opted to decline his $27 million (£21m) player option with the Warriors, making him a free agent. Although he can re-sign with the team on a restructured deal, a viable list of suitors will be available for his services.
