Klay Thompson reveals legendary moment he knew Luka Doncic would be 'special'

Klay Thompson had arguably his greatest start as a Dallas Maverick on Monday night as he lit it up from downtown against the Washington Wizards at the American Airlines Center.

It took him just 10 minutes to knock down seven 3-pointers and go for 21 points in the first quarter alone, as he showed shades of his Golden State days. As any athlete who has to adjust to a new role, Thompson is still trying to find his stride consistently, but that performance alone showed Mavs fans why they need to get him the ball early and often to continue his hot streak during games.

During one of his first press conferences as a Maverick, Thompson referred to Luka Doncic as one of the main reasons why he came to play for Dallas. Thompson recently put Doncic and a late NBA legend in the same sentence as a way to praise Doncic about his future Hall of Fame status.

Thompson reflects on Bryant's admiration for Doncic

It wasn't every day for Kobe Bryant to just watch anybody play up close in person, and that's what Doncic forced Bryant to do, which was get up off the couch or take a break from coaching his daughter to watch the future Hall of Fame Maverick at his best.

Thompson told Doncic that he knew he'd be great because it was Bryant who made the effort to watch Doncic play in Los Angeles early in his career.

"That's actually funny because that's the first thing I told Luka when we met," Thompson said. "I was like, man I knew you were going to special because you brought Kobe out the house to watch you play. Kobe doesn't give that love to do those who don't earn it."

Thompson had also said that he thinks about Bryant and his daughter Gigi every day, and that he still can't believe they're not here today.

Bryant knew that Doncic was going to be great from the very first time they met, and Bryant seeing Doncic play more would've made him proud, seeing another legend in the making.

Doncic and Bryant's worlds have coincidentally collided with one another in the past. Doncic and Bryant met during Doncic's second year in the NBA when Bryant actually surprised Doncic by speaking Slovenian.

"He was talking Slovenian, so I was like, he's talking in my language, and I saw Kobe and I was like, really surprised," Doncic said speaking of Bryant in 2019.

Doncic's legendary 73-point night came on the four-year anniversary of Bryant's death, solidifying another chapter in Doncic's great career.

Bryant was one of the greatest players in NBA history, getting five championships, an MVP, and 18 NBA All-Star selections. Whether or not Doncic can reach those same goals, it says a lot for a veteran championship player like Thompson to put Doncic in the same sentence with one of the all-time great ones.