Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson has said that he will not take technical fouls and fines because he does not want to lose money.
Golden State Warriors superstar Klay Thompson has never been the most excited of players while on the sidelines of an NBA game. While his Warriors teammates Steph Curry and Draymond Green are famously known to wear their hearts on their sleeves on the sidelines, Thompson is a very composed customer who never goes overboard with his celebrations.
It now turns out that Thompson has a reason for not going overboard with his celebrations no matter what the scoreline reads in a game. The four time NBA champion is a cool customer indeed, but what reinforces his decision to not celebrate too much is his unwillingness to part with his money – courtesy of the strict regulations set on sideline behaviour by the NBA.
As of last season, any outrageous behaviour on the sideline is awarded with a technical foul, which in turn results in an amount of money to be paid as part of a fine. It happened again when during the Warriors’ 137-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, both Curry and Green were assessed technicals for celebrating shots by Jordan Poole and Donte DiVincenzo.
However, Thompson did not follow in the footsteps of his teammates, as he explained later.
What did Klay Thompson have to say about not following in the footsteps of his teammates?
The Warriors star explained why he did not join his teammates in the celebration.
When NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke asked Thompson following the game if he wanted to join in and get a technical foul for himself, the 32-year-old answered succinctly. “Do you think I would willfully give up my money?” Thompson asked a laughing Burke, Chris Mullin and Dorell Wright on “Warriors Postgame Live.” “Absolutely not. Come on, stop it.”
It remains to be seen how much Curry and Green get fined for their celebration, but the $40m worth Thompson will certainly not be lightening up his pockets willingly.
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