The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

KLAY Thompson continues to use his platform to advocate for Bahamians displaced by Hurricane Dorian and criticised the Trump administration in the process.

Speaking at the Thompson Family Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, California, Thompson said he was disheartened by the rhetoric surrounding the Trump administration’s approach.

“I didn’t appreciate the language he used with Bahamians. They’re gang members and criminals? I’ve known Bahamians my whole life. Yes, there are criminals in Nassau.

“But there are criminals worldwide. When you lose everything, your home, your loved ones and thousands are dead, and then you generalise a whole population, I thought it was very, very ill-advised and bad timing. That language really (ticked) me off.”

All proceeds from the second annual Thompson Family Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament will be donated to the relief effort. The Foundation will also match all of the proceeds raised from the event.

In addition, Thompson also pledged that the foundation would match Buddy Hield’s donation of $100,000 toward restoration efforts.

Thompson delivered his response to the recent events that have unfolded in a statement on the foundation’s website.

According to its website, the mission of the Thompson Family Foundation is to enrich the lives of youth in the United States and the Bahamas through fitness and education.

Mychal Thompson was recruited from the Bahamas to Miami Jackson High and eventually to the University of Minnesota. He was the top overall pick in the 1978 Draft by the Portland Trailblazers and enjoyed a 13-year NBA career highlighted by a pair of championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The entrance of the new Thomas A Robinson National Stadium that leads to the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium is named in his honour.

Always a strong presence in the Bahamas, both Mychal and Klay are frequent participants in the annual Jeff Rodgers Summer Basketball Camp, while Mychel was a member of the Bahamas’ national team at the 2014 Centrobasket tournament. “To whom much is given, much is required,” the elder Thompson said. “If blessed with riches, health, or knowledge, you should be willing to pass it on.”