So I love to bring up how I had so many childhood heroes growing up on
the beautiful island of Freeport, Grand Bahama in the Bahamas. One
such hero was the legendary Mychal Thompson known for winning NBA
Championships with the Showtime Lakers in the 80s. Thompson, born in
Nassau, was a national hero, and joked regularly about one day being
the Prime Minister of the Bahamas during his playing days. Thankfully
he stayed out of politics and stuck with basketball even after his
playing days ended.
Before there was Buddy Hield, DeAndre Ayton or Kai Jones the three
Bahamians currently playing in the NBA. Before there was a Rick Fox,
another famous Laker with Bahamian roots who won chips also with the
Shaq and Kobe Lakers. Before there was a Jonquel Jones current WNBA
MVP there was Mychal “Sweet Bells” Thompson. The very first foreign
born number one draft pick in the NBA. The Bahamas is a basketball
paradise and it will produce future NBA prospects for years to come.
The invasion into Major League Baseball is even stronger with many
Bahamians in the minor leagues. The current face of the Miami Marlins
Jazz Chisolm is from, you guessed it, Nassau Bahamas. Is it the
conch? Is it something in the water? Maybe. Who knows really?
Thompson, now an LA Lakers radio broadcaster, was in attendance on
Sunday as the Lakers dropped a 113-107 tilt vs the Miami Heat. It is
fitting that DJ Khaled was at the game yesterday because all Mychal
Thompson has won in his basketball career. It started right
here in Miami with the 1974 Jackson Generals. The squad simply known
as the “Jackson 5” made its own sweet music on the basketball court,
going a perfect 33-0 and beating teams by an average of 30 points per
game on a team people still talk about 46 years later.
He is also the father of Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.
The younger Thompson has won 3 rings so far in his NBA career.
Thompson joked on a recent podcast that he has 7 chips. Two as a
player, three with help from his son Klay in Golden State and another
two as a Lakers radio announcer. A boxing enthusiast at heart,
Thompson is living a good life. As the amount of NBA and MLB
players from the islands of the Bahamas continues to grow. They all
owe a debt of gratitude to the great Mychal George Thompson.
