Klay Thompson Posts ‘I’m Not Leaving’ Speech From ‘Wolf Of Wall Street’ To Announce Free Agency Decision

When NBA free agency got underway Sunday, one of the first shoes to drop was guard Klay Thompson announcing that he was remaining with the Golden State Warriors.

On Monday, Thompson made it official with a social media post making the message clear.

“I’m not leaving!”

Thompson, in a message to his 6.6 million Instagram followers, posted a clip from the 2013 Martin Scorsese film The Wolf of Wall Street, containing just that sentiment.

The post adds the sentiment that “there was never a doubt.” Rumors in the weeks leading into free agency were that Thompson would take meetings with the Los Angeles Lakers or Clippers in the event that the Warriors didn’t offer a max contract right away, but the Warriors made that a moot point when they got the 29-year-old Thompson to re-sign with them on the first day of free agency.

Thompson, the winner of three NBA championships in his career with Golden State so far, signed a contract with the Warriors for five years and $190 million, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter. The contract also includes a 15 percent trade kicker. Thompson is expected to miss a large chunk of next season due to the knee injury he suffered in the NBA Finals.

While Thompson remains with the Warriors, both Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala will no longer be his teammates, with Durant signing with the Brooklyn Nets and Iguodala being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. However, the Warriors added another star player, D’Angelo Russell, who will join Steph Curry in the backcourt during Thompson’s injury.

The clip from the movie that Thompson posted comes about halfway through The Wolf of Wall Street when Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), the corrupt financial wizard, is preparing to announce that he has agreed to a deal with the government to plead to minor SEC charges, which will entail his resigning from his firm, Stratton Oakmont. During the speech, Belfort has a change of heart and declares that he’s not leaving the company after all.

However, the decision in the film has not-so-great consequences for Belfort, as the lack of an SEC deal leads to renewed criminal attention by the FBI, which ultimately leads to Belfort’s arrest and imprisonment as well as the end of Stratton Oakmont.

Klay Thompson’s new five-year, maximum-salary contract will feature a 15% trade bonus: https://t.co/1jxLdvBgqJ

— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) July 1, 2019

The Warriors undoubtedly hope that Thompson’s declaration that he’s not leaving turns out better for him in the long run than it did for Jordan Belfort.