ALL BARK AND ALL BITE
‘Sports aren’t for old people’ says Charles Barkley after Klay Thompson’s playoffs horror show and Warriors exit
Klay Thompson possibly played his last game with the Golden State Warriors due to a set of circumstances
CHARLES Barkley did not hold back while talking about the future of Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson, who put together arguably his worst performance of his career.
The TNT analyst Barkley, 61, went on the tirade after Thompson and the Warriors were eliminated after their 118-94 loss in the play-in tournament game against the Sacramento Kings.
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Thompson had a miserable showing, finishing with 0 points in 32 minutes of play during the road contest.
The five-time NBA All-Star was held scoreless on 0-for-10 shooting, including 0-for-6 from three-point range.
It was Thompson's first game without scoring a point since his rookie season in 2011.
The Warriors played the contest as the No. 9 seed as Tuesday's loss took them out of the playoffs.
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Thompson also possibly played his last game with Golden State as he will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
Inside the NBA's panel gave their thoughts on the Warriors brutal loss.
Barkley, however, gave a harsh outlook on Thompson's future in the NBA.
"[Thompson's] not gonna get better," the NBA Hall of Famer said.
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"He's gonna make less money but he ain't gonna get no better.
"Older people don't get -- sports ain't for old people.
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"They're for young people."
Barkley still called Thompson a future Hall of Famer but doesn't believe the 34-year-old will live up to his next contract.
And Barkley thinks the Warriors are in "serious trouble" due to the fact they will have to make a "hard decision" on Thompson's future.
During the 2023-24 season, Thompson averaged 17.9 points per game and shot 38.7 percent from downtown.
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The four-time NBA champion played in 77 games as it was the most appearance since the 2018-19 season - before he tore an ACL and an Achilles.
After Tuesday's contest, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr revealed that he wants to see Thompson back with the team next season.
"He’s still got good years left," Kerr said.
"And I know I speak for everybody in the organization: We want him back. … What Klay has meant to this franchise and as good as he still is, we desperately want him back."
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Steph Curry and the Warriors are now 0-3 in play-in tournament game.
They have won just one playoff series since their NBA title in 2022.