Klay Thompson Won’t Forget Jimmer Fredette Going Before Him In NBA Draft
Feb 4, 2022, 11:29 AM | Updated: 11:30 am
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors reacts at the end of the first half of their game against the Detroit Pistons at Chase Center on January 18, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Nearly 11 years have passed, but Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson won’t forget Jimmer Fredette.
It feels like a lifetime ago, so Thompson was selected No. 11 overall to Golden State in the 2011 NBA Draft to give you a refresher. The Warriors picked the former Washington State star one spot after the Sacramento Kings selection. As many know here in Utah, the Kings pick was former BYU legend Jimmer Fredette.
Why does any of this matter in 2022?
Well, Thompson threw some shade at that pick during a postgame interview.
On Thursday night, Thompson and the Warriors defeated the Kings 126-114. Thompson scored 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field. Twenty-one of Thompson’s 23 points came from behind the three-point line, with six coming in the first half of the win.
Klay hasn’t forgotten the Kings passed him up in the 2011 draft 😲 pic.twitter.com/jcQPAcQuFZ
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 4, 2022
After the win, Thompson had an interview on the court during the NBC Sports Bay Area postgame show and host Bonta Hill asked Thompson, “Back in 2015, Klay, you scored 37 in a quarter against this same team, the Sacramento Kings. Tonight, you start off 7-for-7 and hit your first six threes. What is it about playing against the Sacramento Kings that brings out the best in you?”
Thompson replied, “Hey man, 2011 NBA Draft, with the 10th pick, the Sacramento Kings don’t select me. People don’t forget. That’s all I’ve got to say.”
Klay Thompson: “People don’t forget.”
The decision to select Fredette haunts the Kings all these years later as they have to Thompson and the Warriors four times per year. Fredette was a star at BYU, earning the Naismith Award, given to college basketball’s top player. But his time in the NBA was short-lived.
The Kings waived Fredette after two-and-a-half seasons with the club. The BYU legend appeared in 241 games in the NBA, while Thompson has become one of the best three-point shooters in the history of the NBA.
Thompson worked out with the Kings during the 2011 NBA Draft process and had a one-on-one battle with former Utah Jazz draft pick Alec Burks in the tryout.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
