You may see Klay Thompson talk trash, but he won't be counting his rings again.
In an appearance on "Podcast P with Paul George," the Warriors guard expressed regret about repeatedly yelling, "Four rings!" at Devin Booker during an early-season game with the Phoenix Suns.
Good chance you won't see Klay flexing his 4 rings to opponents again pic.twitter.com/xOXLGZqfW6
— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) August 7, 2023
"I'm not really proud of that one," Thompson told George. "Stuff doesn't age well, and that didn't age well."
Thompson flashing four fingers at opponents was a constant theme in the 2022-23 season when he got frustrated. He did it to Dillon Brooks during a blowout loss in Memphis.
In Phoenix, Thompson drew his first career ejection for getting into it with Booker, which included more ring talk.
While he led the league in three-pointers and twice hit a dozen threes in a single game, Thompson struggled with his conditioning and his defense as the Warriors attempted to defend their fourth title. He acknowledged that he released his frustration on Booker that night.
"I was in my feelings, and Book was busting my a-- that day," Thompson told George. "My game wasn't where it was at. We all get insecure at times. I'm man enough to admit that."
We shouldn't expect the four-fingered taunt to return or expect the feud with Booker to continue. Thompson was effusive in complimenting the Suns star, praising his toughness and work ethic to "survive a tough regime in Phoenix, where everyone's getting trade" to emerge as a franchise player.
As for Booker, he never seemed upset with Thompson at all, telling reporters after the October game, "I love Klay Thompson. I have for a really long time. And obviously the rings speak for themselves."
In the future, Thompson will let the rings speak for themselves. As he explained, "Everyone know that. That's on Wikipedia."
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