OAKLAND–There are two versions of Klay Thompson.
There’s the quiet, often shy version of Thompson who’s star power is frequently overshadowed by teammates like Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green. And then there’s #ChinaKlay.
#ChinaKlay took the Internet by storm this summer as the Warriors’ shooting guard traveled overseas and shared dozens of memorable moments on a different side of the world where his star power has a tremendous reach.
“I appreciate going to China because when I was a kid, I never thought I would have fans a cross the world, especially the amount of fans we now have,” Thompson said.
Thompson said he’s well aware of the chaos that ensued following his viral moments in China, and he said he’s looking forward to the Warriors’ upcoming trip to the country this preseason.
“I’m very aware,” Thompson said. “I guess you’ll have to find out in about eight days. I didn’t know it would go so viral when I was over there, I was having a great time, but I forgot the Internet existed.”
Thompson said that when the Warriors travel to China, he can serve as the team’s translator considering he knows the language better than any of his teammates, and he also said that he hopes the rest of the squad appreciates the unique opportunity to interact with people from a different culture who share the same love of basketball.
“I never thought I would be doing promos in front of five to six thousand people, shooting clinics as well and we don’t even speak the same language. But basketball is a world language,” Thompson said.