KLAY THOMPSON TO YHE HEAT | DEROZAN TO THE NUGGETS

 

MEGAN THEE STALLION: KLAY AND I ARE OVER ... Trust Was Compromised!

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Looks like Klay Thompson won't be getting a taste of Megan Thee Stallion's "Sweetest Pie" anymore ... 'cause she just confirmed to TMZ she dumped him.

The singer tells TMZ via her rep ... "I’ve made the decision to end my relationship with Klay. Trust, fidelity and respect are non-negotiable for me in a relationship, and when those values are compromised, there’s no real path forward. I’m taking this time to prioritize myself and move ahead with peace and clarity.”

The confirmation comes after the singer hopped on Instagram Saturday to share a cryptic note to her Story in which she seemingly accused the NBA star of cheating. She wrote ... "Cheating, had me around your whole family playing house... got 'cold feet.'"

She went on ... "Holding you down through all your HORRIBLE mood swings and treatment towards me during your basketball season now you don't know if you can be "monogamous”???? bitch I need a REAL break after this one .. bye yall."

TMZ has reached out to reps for Klay ... so far, no word back.

The pair confirmed their relationship last summer, when Klay first appeared in the background of Meg's poolside thirst trap.

They made their red carpet debut on July 16, 2025, at her inaugural Pete & Thomas Foundation Gala in New York City.

The pair seemed to be going strong ... but it looks like Klay might've gotten fouled out.

- TMZ

KLAY THOMPSON TALKS RETURN TO GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS | POST GAME INTERVIEW

WHY THE KLAY THOMPSON ERA ENDED AT GOLDEN STATE

 RIVIERA COUNTRY CLUB in Pacific Palisades is one of those places in Los Angeles where every room -- every tree, even -- has a famous Hollywood story behind it. Its 12th hole was Humphrey Bogart's favorite to play and, later, where he'd sit and watch tournaments with a cup of bourbon. The sycamore on that hole was eventually named Bogey's Tree.

Riviera was also where Tom Brady was spotted right after he retired in 2023 while his then-wife, Gisele Bundchen, took in the Met Gala in New York. The couple had attended that event together many times over the years, so seeing her shine in a feathery white gown on the same day Brady was chipping out of sand traps was the public end of their union, which had dissolved just a few months earlier.

Six weeks ago, the club's famous golf course was the site of the end of the Golden State Warriors' 13-year marriage to Klay Thompson. The team's controlling owner, Joe Lacob, had invited Thompson to play a round with him at the exclusive course to show him respect, to try to strengthen a frayed bond with the franchise legend so that he might be willing to wait, to trust that the team still wanted him, even though negotiations on a new contract had long since gone south.

Thompson, 34, had spent his entire career with the Warriors. He had become a franchise icon, a symbol of an entire era. But even those closest to him in the organization often wondered if they really knew him. Assistant coach Bruce Fraser once said of Thompson, "If I was to choose my favorite book, it would be a book written by Klay Thompson when he's 60. Because that's when you'll get everything that's in his soul articulated."

But over the past year, Thompson has been relatively easy to read. He was "miserable," as one person close to him said. Miserable with how negotiations with the team had gone on a new contract. Miserable at the thought he wasn't respected or valued by the franchise in the way his older Splash Brother, Stephen Curry, 36, and Draymond Green, 34, were. Miserable at his declining role on the team. And yes, miserable at the way his game and play had declined, as well.

The two years spent away from basketball as he rehabilitated from major leg injuries had forced Thompson to confront his basketball mortality. What his life was without basketball. What his identity was. He bought a boat, not to escape all these thoughts but to move through them even when his body could not. He read dozens of books and did sessions with motivational guru Tony Robbins. Thompson went spearfishing and challenged himself to hold his breath for several minutes.

His fight back to the court was one of the best stories in sports a few years ago. The Warriors' NBA championship in 2022 was a testament to his resilience.

But everything since that championship has been off -- the team, Thompson himself. The joy, such a hallmark of the Warriors' dynastic run since 2015, had evaporated. The team wasn't winning, either, going 90-74 the past two years and missing the playoffs this past season.

Thompson had felt disrespected, sources said, that the team didn't offer him an extension the summer after it won that title. That feeling only deepened the following summer when Golden State was only willing to discuss two-year contracts in the range of $23 million to $24 million, instead of matching the four-year, $100 million deal Green had received.

Thompson did little to hide his feelings once the season started, and his actions increasingly became difficult to manage, exasperating even his loyalists in the locker room, sources said. He had several emotional meetings with Warriors coach Steve Kerr -- a marked contrast from the days when Kerr dubbed him a "zero maintenance" star.

And so it was that Lacob invited Thompson out to play Riviera in mid-May. There was no set agenda. Lacob just wanted to connect with Thompson and to play. The invitation alone conveyed respect.

But in this case, it was just golf. There was no discussion of contracts or the team. No exploration of why Thompson had been so miserable all year. No drink out by Bogey's Tree.

If either man had something to say that might have saved what had been one of the best basketball marriages in recent history, this would've been the time.

But sometimes there's nothing left to say. The marriage is already over. All that's left to decide is how to move on.

IN SOME WAYS, the Warriors had been moving on from Thompson since he blew out his left knee in the 2019 NBA Finals. They didn't want to, but they had to find replacements for him while he missed two seasons with his injuries (torn ACL in 2019, torn Achilles in 2020).

When he returned in 2022, up-and-coming guard Jordan Poole moved back to a bench role so Thompson could start. But Poole's mere presence -- and contract situation -- undercut Thompson's role on the team. The Warriors prioritized extending Poole -- for four years and $140 million -- and young swingman Andrew Wiggins (four years, $109 million) over Thompson and Green the summer after they won a championship, which didn't sit well with either of the two veterans, sources said.

Green's frustrations and actions are well-documented at this point. But ultimately, he played out the season and played well enough to earn a new four-year contract in 2023. Thompson tried to do the same, scoring 22 points per game and shooting 41% on 3-pointers two seasons ago. But when it came time to discuss a new deal, the organization wasn't ready to offer him the same years or salary it had given Green. Firstly, Green had the leverage of being a free agent in 2023. But perhaps more importantly, the Warriors were determined to maintain as much optionality with their books since the new collective bargaining agreement was set to kick in following the 2024 season.

The Warriors always told Thompson they wanted him back, sources said. But they also wanted him to wait, so they could make other moves first.

By the time this offseason arrived, Thompson's representatives had proposed at least four contracts to the team. Each time, throughout the season, the response from the Warriors was that Thompson and his camp needed to wait while the franchise tried to improve the team in other deals. Most notably, sources said, were efforts to trade for Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, Brooklyn Nets swingman Mikal Bridges, LA Clippers star Paul George and Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen.

The Warriors didn't know how much or how long they could re-sign Thompson for until they had answers on that other business. It was obvious: Thompson was not the priority.

The reason for this is fairly simple. After losing to the Lakers in the second round of the 2023 playoffs, the front office wanted to shake up the roster, sources said. But Kerr and the team "fought," as one source put it, to keep the roster together. Going on a mini 4-1 run before the trade deadline bought the team time to play out the rest of this past season without a major trade. But the results at the end of the campaign -- finishing 10th in the Western Conference and missing the playoffs entirely -- were more conclusive.

The Warriors, as constructed, didn't have enough. Which is unacceptable for the always-ambitious Lacob in any year. But especially with Curry's prime years dwindling and the luxury tax bill soaring to historic levels.

The Warriors wanted Thompson to stay -- but not in the starting role he had occupied for nearly a decade before his demotion in the middle of last season. He'd be a wise veteran if he returned, an Andre Iguodala-type of player, but not a leading man.

This was communicated to Thompson, sources said, and even though he was not thrilled with the idea, it was not a deal-breaker.

ABOUT A MONTH after the round of golf at Riviera, with his future at Golden State increasingly uncertain, Thompson had a revelation. After almost a year of despair, he needed an entirely new experience, sources said. Out of the fishbowl, away from all the history and people he had always known. Two weeks prior, Thompson's camp had made one final offer to the Warriors, a two-year deal for roughly $20 million per season, sources said. The response was the same as it had been for nearly a year: We just can't do it yet.

For five years, Thompson had been fighting to reclaim his position within the Warriors and be the player he was before his injuries. But that was never going to happen, no matter how hard he trained physically or mentally. Because the Warriors were not the same team, and he was not the same player.

The past two years had been miserable as they both tried to evolve, to accept their new realities. Rather than fight against the dying of the light, why not fight for something new?

Thompson loved watching the Dallas Mavericks run throughout the playoffs this year. He was intrigued by the young Oklahoma City Thunder. He had always wanted to play for the Lakers, in the uniform of his childhood idol, Kobe Bryant.

In the final week before free agency started on Saturday, Thompson met with Kerr in L.A. and told him all this, sources said. He called Green and Curry and told them he wanted a fresh start then asked them not to use their organizational clout to interfere with his negotiations with the team.

Then he called Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and asked them to help him get to a team of his choosing, via a sign-and-trade, if necessary.

Everyone understood and wished him well. This would be an amicable separation.

Dallas was his top choice. He loved the way the Mavericks played and believed he'd be an ideal fit alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, sources said. He came into a dinner meeting with the Mavericks' front office having studied tape of the team and already projecting out how he could help them.

The Mavericks were thrilled to get a player of Thompson's ability and experience on such a reasonably priced contract. The team had a great run to get to the Finals this season, but sources said Dallas felt it needed more veteran leadership to build off the performance.

The Thunder also were interested in Thompson but ended up prioritizing big man Isaiah Hartenstein with their cap space.

That left the Lakers. His father's team. His idol's team. LeBron's team. The team ultimately was willing to offer Thompson more years and more money than he accepted from Dallas. Sources said James was willing to take less and the Lakers were trying to make trades that would've cleared four years and nearly $80 million for Thompson.

James had several deep conversations with Thompson about the idea of playing together, sources said.

But something about playing for the Lakers apparently felt too much like playing for the Warriors. As one source close to him put it, "Would this be trading one fishbowl for another?"

All Thompson had talked about in the two weeks since he had decided and accepted that his time with the Warriors was over was wanting "new experiences" and a "fresh start."

Dallas seemed like a better place to get that.

Mychal Thompson, who played for the Lakers from 1987 to 1991 and is a radio color commentator for the team, was ecstatic at the thought his son would finish his career with the hometown team. He tried to talk to his son about mooring the boat in Marina Del Rey and living in his new house in Hermosa Beach.

"I'm disappointed," the elder Thompson told ESPN. "But maybe playing for the Lakers was more my dream than his."

NBA ALL-TIME GREAT JERRY WEST DIES AT AGE 86

 Jerry West, who was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three times in a storied career as a player and executive and whose silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo, died Wednesday morning at the age of 86, the LA Clippers announced.

West was the third player in NBA history to reach 25,000 points, was an All-Star every year of his career and led the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Finals nine times, winning one title in 1971-72. He was also a 12-time All-NBA selection, an NBA Finals MVP as part of a losing team in 1969 -- the first year that award was given out and still the only time it went to a player on the losing team -- and part of the NBA's 75th anniversary team.

His basketball life bridged generations: West played with Elgin Baylor, whom he called "the most supportive and the greatest player of that era," and Wilt Chamberlain. As a coach and executive, he worked with a who's-who of NBA stars from the past 40 years: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George among them.

"Jerry West was a basketball genius and a defining figure in our league for more than 60 years," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "He distinguished himself not only as an NBA champion and an All-Star in all 14 of his playing seasons, but also as a consummate competitor who embraced the biggest moments."

"... I valued my friendship with Jerry and the knowledge he shared with me over many years about basketball and life. On behalf of the NBA, we send our deepest condolences to Jerry's wife, Karen, his family and his many friends in the NBA community."

The NBA is planning a pregame tribute to West before Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

West was "the personification of basketball excellence and a friend to all who knew him," the Clippers said in announcing his death, adding that Karen West was by his side when he died.

Following his playing career, West found title success as an NBA executive, building the Showtime Lakers of the 1980s that won five titles in that decade and overseeing the formation of the O'Neal-Bryant tandem. West stayed for just the first title in 2000 as the Lakers went on to three-peat.

"Jerry West is forever a basketball icon," the Lakers said in a statement. "He brought Lakers fans their first championship in Los Angeles in 1972 and was integral to another six titles during his time with us. Our thoughts are with the West family and the many NBA fans who honor his legacy. Jerry West will always be a Lakers legend."

West became an adviser for the Clippers starting in 2017, helping to engineer the breakup of the team's "Lob City" core that led the way to the signing of Leonard and George. The Clippers reached the Western Conference finals for the first time in 2021.

"This is a hard day. I am honored to call Jerry a confidant, an advisor and a friend," Clippers owner Steve Ballmer said in a statement. "Connie, my wife, called him my 'basketball dad.' He was absolutely my basketball sage: wise, loyal and so much fun. If you were in his presence, you felt his competitiveness and his drive. He cared about everything and everyone. From the first day I met Jerry seven years ago, he inspired me with his intellect, honesty and enthusiasm. He never stopped. I spent a lot of time with him, some of the best times of my life. He always lent an ear, and he always had a quip. He always left me laughing. I will miss him."

West also worked in the front offices of the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors, with Warriors co-executive chairman and CEO Joe Lacob saying West was "an incredible and unique individual."

"He did so much for the NBA, the game of basketball and each of the teams he was associated with during his unmatched career, including the Warriors," Lacob said. "Jerry had a profound and immense impact on our franchise and was instrumental in our recent decade of success."

West was a two-time All-American at West Virginia, where he averaged 24.8 points per game and helped the Mountaineers to the 1959 NCAA championship game, being named Final Four Most Outstanding Player despite a loss in the final to Cal. West also teamed with Oscar Robertson to lead the U.S. to a gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics.

All those accomplishments made West one of only three players (along with Magic Johnson and Hakeem Olajuwon) to win a Finals MVP, be named NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player and earn an Olympic gold medal.

Nicknamed "Mr. Clutch" for his late-game exploits as a player, West went into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1980 and again as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic Team in 2010. He will be enshrined for a third time later this year as a contributor.

West is still the NBA Finals' all-time leader in total points, along with field goals made and attempted as well as free throws made and attempted, but his teams went 1-2 against the New York Knicks and 0-6 against the Boston Celtics.

"Those damn Celtics," he often said.

West also hit one of the most famed shots in Finals history, a 60-footer at the buzzer of Game 3 of the 1970 series between the Knicks and Lakers to force overtime.

Even in the final years of his life, West was considered basketball royalty. He routinely sat courtside at Summer League games in Las Vegas, often watching many games in a day while greeting long lines of players -- LeBron James among them -- who would approach to shake his hand and pay him respect.

"The game transcends many things," West said while attending Summer League last year. "The players change, the style of play may change, but the respect that you learn in this game never changes."

In a pair of social media posts, James honored West as a friend and mentor and he was "already missed."

Michael Jordan said he considered West "a friend and mentor -- like an older brother to me."

"I valued his friendship and knowledge," Jordan said. "I always wished I could have played against him as a competitor, but the more I came to know him, I wish I had been his teammate. I admired his basketball insights and he and I shared many similarities to how we approached the game."

A native of Chelyan, West Virginia, West was known as a tenacious player who was rarely satisfied with his performance. He grew up shooting at a basket nailed to the side of a shed and often shot until his fingers bled. He became the first high school player in state history to score more than 900 points in a season, averaging 32.2 points per game in leading East Bank High to a state title.

Basketball, he would later reveal, was his therapy.

In his memoir, "West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life," West chronicled a lifelong battle with depression. He wrote that his childhood was devoid of love and filled with anger as a result of an abusive father. He often felt worthless, and to combat that, he said he put his energy into playing the game.

"It never ceases to amaze me the places you can go in this world chasing a bouncing ball," West said in 2019, when he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the nation's highest civilian honor -- by then-President Donald Trump. "My chase began in Chelyan, West Virginia, where I strung a wire basket with no net to the side of a bridge. If your shot didn't go in, the ball rolled down a long bank and you would be chasing it forever. So you better make it.

"I was a dreamer. My family didn't have much, but we had a clear view of the Appalachian Mountains, and I'd sit alone on our front porch and wonder, 'If I ever make it to the top of that mountain, what will I see on the other side?' Well, I did make it to the other side, and my dreams have come true. I've been able to see the sides, thanks to that bouncing ball."

He is 25th on the NBA career scoring list, and while the NBA has never confirmed that West was in fact the model for its logo -- a player dribbling a ball, set against a red-and-blue background -- the league has never said otherwise either.

"While it's never been officially declared that the logo is Jerry West," Silver said in 2021, "it sure looks a lot like him."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

- ESPN News Services

THE KINGS ELIMINATE THE WARRIORS FROM PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT WITH 118-94 WIN

Domantas Sabonis. AP Photo 

 SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The chants of “Light the Beam!” started midway through the fourth quarter as the Sacramento Kings kept piling on the Golden State Warriors.

A year after having their season ended by their neighbors, the Kings dealt the Warriors a bit of payback in emphatic fashion with a victory that might have signaled the end of a dynasty.

Keegan Murray scored 32 points, De'Aaron Fox added 24 and the Kings stayed alive in the play-in tournament, eliminating the Warriors with a 118-94 victory on Tuesday night.

“We knew what was on the line,” Fox said. “This was just another obstacle in our way. We have to get over this hump. Obviously, losing to this team last year and obviously facing this team now, it’s like, of course we have to face this team.”

Sacramento advanced to play at New Orleans on Friday night with a chance to return to the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference after snapping an NBA-record 16-year playoff drought last season.

The Kings avenged a Game 7 loss at home to Golden State in last year's first round by playing cleaner and being quicker to loose balls against the older Warriors in what was one of the most consequential wins for the franchise in two decades.

The loss kept Golden State out of the playoffs for the third time in the past five seasons, including two eliminations in the play-in tournament. The Warriors committed 16 turnovers, gave up 15 offensive rebounds and way too many open 3-pointers, looking nothing like the dynastic team that won four titles from 2015-22.

“I was a sophomore in high school watching them win championships,” Fox said. “We’ve been watching this team for a long time. If it is the end, it is what it is. I’m I’m glad we’re able to beat this team at this at this moment but, they definitely had a hell of a run.”

Klay Thompson missed all 10 shots from the field in what could have been his final game with the Warriors as he heads to unrestricted free agency this summer and a potential breakup of the championship trio of Thompson, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.

“We need Klay back. I know he had a tough night tonight,” coach Steve Kerr said. “I know I speak for everyone in the organization, we want him back. Obviously there's business at hand and that has to be addressed. ... But what Klay has meant to this franchise, as good as he is, we definitely want him back.”

With Thompson struggling, Curry didn't get nearly enough help. Curry finished with 22 points but was hounded for much of the game by Keon Ellis.

The undrafted Ellis, who was on a two-way contract until February, added 15 points to go with his strong defense. Harrison Barnes scored 17 and Domantas Sabonis had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Sacramento.

“For the most part, they just took it to us the whole game,” Curry said. “There’s really no way around it.”

The meeting between the Northern California rivals separated by less than 100 miles was a rematch of last year's series won by Golden State. Curry scored 50 points in the seventh game.

The crowd was loud from the start even if the energy didn't quite reach the level of last year's matchup, when Sacramento fans celebrated the end of the record-long playoff drought.

Murray hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter and the Kings built their lead to 16 points in the second quarter before the Warriors rallied behind their bench to cut the deficit to 54-50 at the half.

Golden State got within one early in the third quarter before Sacramento responded with a 19-5 run keyed by a pair of 3-pointers from Ellis and more big shots from Murray to build the lead back to 15 points. The Kings were never threatened after that.

“The first play was for me and we just kind of kept going to that early on in the game,” Murray said. “When you’re shot is falling, especially when mine is falling, they always seem to find me.”

UP NEXT

Kings: Sacramento went 0-5 in the regular season against New Orleans and hasn't gone winless in six or more games against the same opponent in a season since going 0-8 against the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1983-84 regular season and playoffs.

- JOSH DUBOW

GREEN EJECTED FOR HEADLOCK, THOMPSON, MC DANIEL TOSSED AFTER SCUFFLE IN TIMBERWOLVES-WARRIORS GAME

AP Photo

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Draymond Green was ejected after putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock and two other players were thrown out after an altercation early in the Golden State Warriors' game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.

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