“You make it sound like he’s my son. Yeah, I guess he is my son.” A decade ago, during an interview, Klay Thompson said during a walk through the park. Through championships, mega contracts, and injuries, the guard had one strong support system in his dog Rocco Thompson. The English bulldog was 8 weeks old when it became a part of Mavericks’ superstar life. It was Klay’s father who first announced it, and fans and teammates are sending prayers to the family.
Mychal Thompson announced the devastating news on ESPN LA’s ‘Mason & Ireland.’ “As Mase and Ireland always say, when someone dear has departed, ‘Hail fellow well met. We had to put Rocco, Klay’s dog, down over the weekend.” Klay often referred to Rocco as his son. Rocco was 13 and was put down on Saturday. The announcement left everybody on the show numb, so the 2x NBA champion did a jovial on-air game segment featuring trivia questions about the dog.
“We were all sad, but Rocco had a great, long life. So today’s game is dedicated to the memory of our service men and women, and to Rocco.” Soon, tributes and messages regarding the stories around the English bulldog started. One such message, even former teammate Matt Barnes, shared on his Instagram story, “Rocco had a hell of a run…” Plus a heart and prayer emoji tagging Thompson to send the regards. The story also had the following post.
“RIP Rocco Thompson Klay’s father Mychal announced the devastating news on ESPN LA’s “Mason & Ireland.” Rocco was 13.” The post also had the clip from their 2022 podcast of All The Smoke.
“We got Rocco in the building trying to find out what’s going on over here. Look at him, he’s hilarious,” said Matt Barnes. In the video, Rocco jumps straight to the couch, and Klay Thompson immediately says, “What is wrong with you? No dogs on the couch.” But the hosts knew those rules didn’t exist and asked the then-Warriors guard a question.”Yeah, that rule don’t exist around here. What’s something that Rocco does that makes you laugh the hardest?”
The 35-year-old revealed the story, “Bark at his shadow. Every time there’s a dog on the television, he’s going crazy protecting the house. I’m like, you’ve been doing this for a decade now, Rocco. It’s not real. That’s just his bulldog nature.”
Klay Thompson would further give a sneak peek at being a pet parent. “Rocco’s pretty snobby, man. I mean, I just raised him. He’s the firstborn, he’s 10, though. He’s earned this, so he’s lived the life, he’s earned this living.”
Klay Thompson Rocco tribute
Remember when LeBron James hit his 50,000th point milestone in the league? He did so by wearing the Nike LeBron 22 “Bryce’s World” — inspired by his youngest son, Bryce. Similarly, Klay Thompson, too, with his partnership with Anta, did a tribute for Roco. Signed with the Chinese brand in 2014, this sneaker release was inspired by his pet. He decided to make a limited edition version of his signature shoe to honor him.
Thompson’s “KT3 Rocco”. It’s obviously an ode to his beloved bulldog, with a colorway that matches the color of Rocco’s fur. The shoes feature a tan suede upper, as well as pictures of Thompson and Rocco on the tongue of the shoe underneath the strap. The limited edition pair was released 7 years ago at Nice Kicks in San Francisco. Plus, it also included a custom Rocco box and pin set.
To make it even more personal, the event also included a meet-and-greet with Klay Thompson and Rocco. That’s why the star guard was appreciative of the brand even then. “That’s what I love about Anta, They’re very open minded, and they’ll do whatever I ask and commemorate any day or anybody. When somebody is on board that much, it makes you want to work that much harder for them.” Now, the Thompson family grieves, fans and teammates around the world are sending prayers and showing support.
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