OAKLAND – Klay Thompson received an amazing gift on his 28th birthday.
Before the Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks 121-103 on Thursday, the Warriors presented him with a cake that mirrored his beloved bulldog, Rocco.
“I just told Klay it’s the greatest birthday cake I’ve seen in my life,” Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr said. “I didn’t know they could make cakes like that.”
Of course, Klay Thompson’s birthday cake is of Rocco pic.twitter.com/7tNWpxiaSe
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) February 9, 2018
Thompson adores his dog, so the cake left Kerr in awe — and a bit confused.
“How do you cut into that?” Kerr asked. “I don’t even think Klay will be able to look at anybody cutting into Rocco like that.”
Thompson, however, had a plan.
“I was thinking of cutting his head straight off, just samurai style,” Thompson said.
Thompson said he was going to exercise some willpower before digging in so he could see how Rocco reacted to seeing the cake version of himself.
“I’m actually curious so I want to keep it in full cake mode until I go home,” Thompson said. “He’ll probably try to eat it. Let’s be realistic.”
Thompson was so serious about keeping his cake intact that when Zaza Pachulia asked if he was going to cut the cake, Thompson deadpanned: “He’s allergic to Georgians.”
Thompson’s birthday festivities began early Thursday with a video tribute at Warriors’ shootaround that included photos of him as a baby and clips of his journey from Santa Margarita High, to his time at Washington State, to him being selected by the Warriors as the 11th overall pick in the 2011 draft.
Thompson, who is known for being even-keeled and stoic, couldn’t help but take a moment and reflect on his path.
“It’s just fun to go down memory lane, especially when you play as much basketball as you do,” Thompson said. “You kind of forget about how much work it took to get here. It’s cool to see the levels I’ve reached.”
Thompson is a two-time NBA champion and a four-time All-Star. He’s averaging 20.1 points, four rebounds and 2.6 assists a game, and is widely considered to be one of the top pure shooters in the NBA.
Thompson said that when he was a young child, he’d imagine himself being an NBA star but he never thought it would actually happen.
“I didn’t really believe it,” Thompson said. “It was kind of just fantasy, dreaming.”
He was also reminded of something else as he watched the video.
“I was a lot better looking as a kid, unfortunately,” Thompson said.
Kevin Durant called playing alongside Thompson “an honor” and “a joy.”
“He’s one of those guys who just loves to play the game,” Durant said. “Basketball is enough for him. Everything else really doesn’t matter. That’s contagious. When you see a guy who just loves to play, you start to think about why you started to play.”
Thompson said he can’t believe he’s only two years shy of being 30. He said his birthday made him a bit introspective, and he was able to take a step back and look at where he’s been and where he still wants to go.
The 28-year-old said he still has a lot ahead of him.
“It’s been an amazing journey,” he said. “And I have no intention of slowing down anytime soon.”
