Jonathan Kuminga joined the NBA as a teenage rookie from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
But he wasn't dipping his toes into something scary with just any organization. He joined a Warriors squad with experienced veterans and champions.
Among that group was Klay Thompson, whose historic run with Golden State came to an end this summer. Thompson left the Bay a five-time NBA All-Star, four-time NBA champion and, to Kuminga, one of his biggest inspirations.
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"I was a little shocked. Klay is somebody that took me under his wing when I first got drafted," Kuminga told ESPN's Cassidy Hubbarth during the Warriors' NBA Summer League matchup with the Phoenix Suns on Saturday in Las Vegas. "He was one of my role models when I was out there. He always told me how the league functioned and things like that. And obviously, we all know in the league, the next day you can wake up and you happen to be somewhere else. Things just move faster.
"I'm happy for him at the end of the day. Every decision he makes, he makes for his own good and for his future. I still talk to him, ask him questions about how things work and stuff like that. But it is what it is."
Thompson agreed to join the reigning Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks via a sign-and-trade deal involving six teams.
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Kuminga was able to soak in three precious years of Thompson's knowledge before the Splash Bro headed for Dallas, and as the 21-year-old could soon begin negotiating his own contract extension, he likely will give his former teammate and role model a ring.
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