Bahamas' Mychel Thompson plans to secure a victory at home

MIAMI (United States) – On Mychel Thompson’s next trip to the Bahamas, he wants to bring victory back with him.

With his family upbringing from Nassau, Thompson will represent Bahamas during the third window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Qualifiers, hoping to show the rest of the world what his country is capable of.

“It’s great to be out here with my fellow countrymen, I’m always proud to put the jersey on, so I’m just happy to be here with my guys,” said Thompson.

Son of legendary NBA legend Mychal Thompson and brother of current NBA champion Klay Thompson, Mychel is ready to make his own narrative about Bahamas basketball.

Needing a win against Virgin Islands in Saint Thomas on Friday, Thompson is prepared from the previous windows where he averaged 13 points and 5 rebounds through the competition so far.

Thompson knows that international basketball is physical and fast, but that Bahamas have the skills needed in order to secure their place in the competition.

“We’re such a quick and athletic team, we’re trying to get the guys to play at a controlled pace, but we want to play fast,” he said. “We’re a little bit smaller so we need the run on this team.”

Not being back home in years, Thompson would love nothing more than the opportunity to showcase the growth and talent that Bahamas basketball has to everyone on the world stage.

Bahamas (1-4) is currently in third place in Group C after defeating ISV in the February window, but they will now have the help of Indiana Pacers shooting guard Buddy Hield for the third window as he suits up for his home country.

“Having Buddy’s a tremendous help, I mean he’s our best player, he put on for the Bahamas for so many years,” said Thompson. “Just having him here, his experience, he helps all the young guys too and gives them a lending hand.”

Bahamas also has the likes of Travis Munnings and David Nesbitt, who have been pillars for Bahamas through the FIBA AmeriCup qualifiers, FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Pre-Qualifiers, and now the final stage of the Americas competition.

At the end of the day, the brotherhood is what matters most and playing well for the name on the front of the jersey motivates each one of them.

“We’re going to play hard, try and put on for the Bahamas,” said Thompson. “We just want to represent and play as hard as we can when we put that jersey on.”

FIBA