‘Mark My Words’: Klay Thompson Embraces Byron Scott To Kobe Bryant Role As Veteran Mentor To Cooper Flagg

Grant AfsethNovember 30, 2025November 30, 2025no comment

Klay Thompson, Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks, NBA

Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images

Klay Thompson has entered a phase of his career where the games matter, but the teaching might matter even more. And on Saturday night at Intuit Dome — after waking up expecting to sit, then erupting for 17 fourth-quarter points to lift the Dallas Mavericks past the LA Clippers — he made something about his purpose remarkably clear.

He sees himself now the way Byron Scott once saw himself with a teenage Kobe Bryant.

“I feel like the wise veteran with the future of the franchise next to me,” Thompson said. “I’ve been through every phase — winning, losing, rehabbing, being doubted — and I just try to give him everything I’ve learned.”

The future he’s talking about is 18-year-old Cooper Flagg, who capped a historic back-to-back in Los Angeles with 35 points against the Clippers after dishing out a record-setting 11 assists the night before at Crypto.com Arena. Thompson has taken to Flagg quickly — not with forced mentorship, but with the kind of intentional presence great veterans once showed him.

Klay Thompson Seeing Himself in Byron Scott, Seeing Kobe Bryant in Cooper Flagg

The parallel comes from a moment Thompson has carried with him for years — a candid conversation from Bryant’s early seasons that became part of his personal blueprint for what real mentorship looks like. In the clip Thompson referenced, Scott sat beside an 18-year-old Kobe Bryant on the Lakers’ bench, mixing humor with unmistakable belief.

“Just my man. This is no showboat. We call him Showboat, but y’all know him as Kobe Bryant. This is my main man. I feel like a father though. I mean, this is my boy. I mean, we play together, we sit on the bench by each other. We are always talking,” Scott said.

Then Scott shifted into something deeper — describing an age gap that he had come to see as a responsibility.

“When I look at — you know how you go down in the locker room and they list everybody’s age. Not the age, but their date of birth. And I see ’78. ’78. Oh yeah. And I’m like, I’m twice as old as this kid, you know?”

What came next is the line Thompson carries with him all these years later:

“But this kid right here, mark my words now — and I said this earlier in the season — him is gonna be unbelievable,” Scott said. “And I’m not saying that ’cause you here. I see him every day in practice. I see how this kid works. I see how he, after practice, how he’s still in the gym before practice. I know he goes to Pacific Palisades and shoots in their gym after school. He’s just a tremendous talent.”

Scott then turned to Bryant and asked what the NBA had felt like so far. Kobe’s response had the composure of someone far older than 18.

“Yes, sir… I really look forward to the challenge of playing against the best basketball players in the world,” Bryant said. “I knew that night in and night out players are gonna attack… I was really looking forward to that challenge offensively and defensively… So it’s been everything it’s made up to.”

Thompson said that exchange modeled everything about what mentorship should look like — the belief, the presence, the willingness to speak for the kid next to you.

Now, he sees that moment repeating.

“I’m not saying Cooper is Kobe,” Thompson said. “But I remember what that relationship looked like. Now I’m in that position. I want to show him how much this game means to me — being out there every night.”

Flagg has responded in kind, saying the spacing, voice and confidence Thompson brings changes everything.

“With Klay spacing the floor like he did tonight, it opens lanes for everyone,” Flagg said.

Choosing to Play, Choosing to Lead

Thompson wasn’t supposed to be spacing the floor at all. Dallas listed him as out Saturday morning with left knee injury management. The Mavericks were preparing to play without Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and Danté Exum — and then minutes before tipoff, P.J. Washington rolled his ankle during warmups and was ruled out.

Thompson admitted his body didn’t feel great. His knee was “sore and stiff,” and he briefly considered sitting. But then he took a morning jump into the Pacific Ocean, stood on the shoreline, and had a moment.

“I told myself: ‘I’m sore, I’m tired, but this is when your character is revealed,’” he said. “I don’t have much basketball left. Fifteen years. If I get a few more, I’m lucky. Every night is a blessing.”

He changed his mind. The Mavericks upgraded him to available less than three hours before tipoff. And when the fourth quarter arrived, he turned the game on its axis.

Thompson finished with 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting — including 6-of-10 from deep — with 17 coming in the final period. His 28-footer with 1:52 left became the decisive shot in a 114–110 victory.

“It felt like a relief,” Thompson said. “I haven’t shot well to my standard these first 20 games, but a night like this gives you belief. Inspires me to be out there.”

Head coach Jason Kidd said Thompson’s shot-making “changed everything,” but emphasized that his presence carries just as much weight as his scoring.

“We’ve got a young team,” Kidd said. “Experiences like this matter. Having a champion out there showing what it looks like — that matters too.”

Respecting the Game, Respecting the Lineage

Thompson said part of mentoring Flagg comes from a responsibility to basketball itself — a respect that started with his father, Mychal Thompson, and expanded as he studied the greats who built the modern NBA.

“My father played,” he said. “I respect the greats who came before us… the salaries, the travel, the food — none of that is possible without them. The league is global because of them.”

Thompson believes that perspective is essential for Flagg and every young player entering the league. And when he talks about the rookie’s future, he doesn’t mince words.

“Limitless upside,” Thompson said. “Every tool.”

Flagg’s early-season numbers support that belief. Through 20 games, he has averaged 16.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists, while emerging as one of the league’s most productive 18-year-olds ever.

Thompson said the combination of talent, humility and work ethic reminds him of something he saw in Kobe: potential that becomes greatness because of how a player attacks each day.

And if he can help guide that evolution — even for one season — he sees that as an honor.

“To me, that’s what being a champion is,” he said. “Showing the next generation what it looks like.”

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Grant Afseth

Senior Writer

Grant Afseth is a Senior Writer for DallasHoopsJournal.com, where he leads in-depth coverage of the Mavericks, Wings, and more. Between a focus on the latest news, closer looks at games, front office strategy, and more, Afseth provides objective coverage. Afseth contributes broader NBA coverage across platforms and has been cited in national outlets for his reporting and analysis. With nearly a decade of journalism experience, Afseth has covered the NBA and WNBA for multiple major outlets, including Athlon Sports, BallIsLife, Sportskeeda, and RG.org. He previously reported on the Indiana Pacers for CNHI’s Kokomo Tribune and the Mavericks for FanNation.

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‘Mark My Words’: Klay Thompson Embraces Byron Scott To Kobe Bryant Role As Veteran Mentor To Cooper Flagg