It just doesn’t make sense. A lot of fans can’t get over the fact that Klay Thompson would leave the Bay Area when he clearly had the option to stay back. The Lakers offered him double the salary the Warriors pitched. He could go for a boat ride as he wished, and yet, why? Many discussions have already covered many storylines. However, Chris Broussard believes the foremost reason to be something else.

In the latest episode of The Odd Couple With Chris Broussard & Rob Parker, the veteran sports analyst has quite a creative term for both the Dubs and Purple & Gold – “fishbowl.” In fact, the origin of the term was from Anthony Slater of The Athletic, who had appeared in an earlier episode of the pod. According to Slater, and Chris wholeheartedly agreed, Klay did not want to trade one fishbowl for another. And the “Lakers, even though they don’t win like the Warriors, they would have been a bigger fishbowl.”

Surprisingly, this was just one of the aspects that led to the ultimate decision. The core reason for the rejection was still hazy. Not for Broussard, though. “I think for Klay the most, the biggest fishbowl that would impact him is … he understands, as anybody that goes to the Lakers should understand Rob, if they were to win a championship, it really wouldn’t be about LeBron and Klay’s winning their fifth championship. It’ll be about LeBron winning the fifth championship and let’s have the GOAT conversation,” Chris stated decidedly.

But Klay Thompson and LeBron James do have a cordial relationship, don’t they?

In fact, Bron called the Splash Brother personally to pitch. Not to mention, James was willing to take a pay cut of nearly $16 million or more if the 5x All-Star signed with the Purple & Gold. So, wouldn’t the 4x champion be okay with the ‘King’ taking the spotlight?

Klay Thompson might’ve not been willing to spend potentially his last years as James’ larger than life ‘shadow’

“Luka’s Shadow isn’t as big as LeBron’s.” It sure isn’t. And as Chris Broussard further pointed out, 20x All-Star’s massive shadow is by no fault of his. We don’t need to go down the ‘Chosen One’ history, now, do we? It wouldn’t be surprising if LeBron James fans have replaced bedtime stories with his story. That’s how great of a player he is!

USA Today via Reuters

However, Klay Thompson is a superstar in his own right. And while he understands he is past the point where he is going to be the No. 1 option, “he might even be the third storyline, behind Kyrie and Luka.”

That’s not an option he would find with the ‘Akron Hammer’. And if you remember, the two do have a slight history that goes back to the tense 2016 NBA Finals. The tussle between Bron and Draymond Green serves to provoke fans of both parties to this day.

Klay Thompson, at the time, had joined the fray, calling the then-2x champion out. The infamous line by the Splash Brother –“I guess his feelings just got hurt,” had been a sore point. LeBron James, for his part, had just one answer to that. “It’s so hard to take the high road.” Of course, the two have outgrown petty grievances such as that (haven’t they?).

Either way, Klay already chose his future when he decided to stick to his fellow Splash Bro, Stephen Curry, and the Dubs. There was no doubt that he would always be the second option in a Warriors franchise led by Steph. And he was completely okay with it. So much so that Steve Kerr dubbed him as ‘low maintenance’.

But trouble brewed when the 34-year-old felt he was no longer receiving the importance, respect, and honor he once deserved. The result was Klay deciding to get out of the fishbowl he spent nearly his entire career in. What more can we say, except good luck?

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what the veteran sports brand maker Leonard Armato had to say about the Shaq-Kobe beef, check out this exclusive video by EssentiallySports