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PHOENIX –- Even through the hordes of summer campers, Klay Thompson noticed a certain 12-year-old because of his physical attributes.

He stood over six feet tall. He muscled his way to the basket because of his strength. He moved easily around the court with his strong athleticism and smart decision making.

“You need to look out for him in the future,” Thompson told himself.

Nearly 7 1/2 years later, Thompson’s observations because clairvoyant. That 12-year-old camper turned into a 20-year-old phenom. The Phoenix Suns selected Deandre Ayton with the No 1 pick of the 2019 NBA Draft. The Warriors (24-13) enter Monday’s game against the Suns (9-28) with Ayton ranking second among his rookie class in points (16.8), first in shooting percentage (60.8 percent), first in rebounds (10.9) and first in double doubles (22). And that left Thompson making another prediction about Ayton’s trajectory.

“He’s going to be in the league for the next two decades,” Thompson said of Ayton. “That’s how good he is.”

So good that Thompson argued that Ayton will become inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Should Ayton live up to that standard, he might dedicate part of his speech to Thompson’s influence. Thompson and Ayton do not know each other well. But Ayton attended the Jeff Rogers celebrity camp in the Nassau, Bahamas that Thompson also attended following his rookie season (2012-13). At that moment, Thompson became an inspirational symbol for Ayton to pursue.

“It’s nothing deep. I just saw him play basketball and I said I wanted to be him,” Ayton said of Thompson. “I didn’t know him as a player. I didn’t even know basketball. I just wanted the attention that he got.”

Ayton soon received the attention he sought.

He soon moved to San Diego to study and play basketball at Balboa City School. He played two more years at Hillcrest Prep academy in Phoenix, promoting the University of Arizona to give him a scholarship offer. During that time, Klay’s father, Mychal, offered insight to Ayton as a two-time NBA champion of the Showtime Lakers and the first No. 1 NBA draft pick to come from the Bahamas.

“I just told him to watch himself,” said Mychal, whom was selected first in 1978 by the Portland Trail Blazers. “By then, you could see that he was going to be a blue chip prospect for college and that he had NBA potential. You knew he was going to be an NBA player.”

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That became inevitable after Ayton starred at the University of Arizona last year during his lone freshman seasons. Then, he set a program and Pac -12 freshman record with 24 double doubles along with Pac-12 Player of the Year honors. Since then, Ayton became the first rookie in NBA history to average a double double while shooting 60.8 percent from the field. Ayton, who has 620 career points, also ranks third all-time behind the Suns’ two leading scorer that won the league’s Rookie of the Year award, including Walter Davis (840 in 1977-78) and Alvan Adams (680 in 1975-76).

“He’s being overshadowed by Luka Doncic because the Mavericks are winning more and the Mavericks are in playoff contention and Phoenix has been struggling. But I think DeAndre is right with him shoulder to shoulder for Rookie of the Year,” Mychal said. “He’s going to be a multiple time All-Star and potential Hall of Famer. I know he’s just getting started.”

Klay struggled to process that this started partly because of his presence at the Jeff Rodgers celebrity basketball camp. Mychal added, “it’s very flattering and complimentary the he recognizes us as an inspiration to him.”

Since then, Klay and Mychal launched the Thompson Family Foundation last summer to benefit charities in the Bahamas, Portland, Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Mychal called Ayton and Sacramento guard Buddy Hield “the face of basketball, if not all of sports in the Bahamas” after attending the Jeff Rogers celebrity camp last summer as camp counselors.

“It’s pretty amazing to see how far he’s come,” Klay said of Ayton. “He can be our best big man in the league. It’ll take some time. But he’s got all the skills.”

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