Honorary Warrior For Life? Vote on Klay Thompson; plus R.I.P. Rocco

vote and salute

The index of Honorary Warriors For Life lists everyone already polled.

Introducing Honorary Warriors For Life

The concept is simple. You get to vote on the question “Is X an Honorary Warrior For Life?”

What does that phrase mean? I once tried to define it, and I personally thought it was a very elegant solution…

BUT people found it more fun to bring in their own definitions and gatekeep and generally have a rollicking discussion, so I have now returned it to being kept vague, like “Most Valuable Player” or “Greatest Of All Time” or “taco”.

In the index, each previously polled player is linked to their full article, plus their splits of answers to the poll question

“Is X an Honorary Warrior For Life?”

with the % for Yes / No / Don’t Know Them numbers.

And now for our nominee…

Klay Thompson

I won’t belabor this. It’s obvious he will qualify; the only suspense is whether he will be unanimous or at least break the current record of 97.7% held by David West.

Here is a review of his last season and his legend:

• Klay Thompson 23-24 season review: Loss of a Legend

Up until recently, I’ve been very philosophical about Klay’s leaving. He wants to try having a bigger role elsewhere and try something new. The Warriors can’t afford his price. His new team, the Dallas Mavericks, got all the plagues (insane Luka trade, Kyrie lost for a year, Davis injury), and treasures (won the Cooper Flagg lottery) that the NBA can bestow.

But recently I was watching the epic 5 hour video on Steph’s clutch endings, and I was struck by how often Klay played an important part, often hitting big shots in space created by Steph.

It really broke through with me emotionally how that was truly the end of something special.

R.I.P. Rocco

Klay’s bulldog, best friend and inseparable sidekick, has reportedly passed away according to Klay’s father Mychel.

Your Vote

You can vote by poll and/or by comment (which counts as ten poll votes) **with an explanation** and a single #YES or #NO. A straight 75% vote will qualify the player for HWFL status.

Bonus Poll

Dub Nation, imagine you see Klay Thompson in a game with no practical implications for the Warriors. (So not against GSW, ignore draft picks, playoff seeding, etc.) Do you want them to do well or poorly?

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