Contrary to prior report, ex-Washington State star Klay Thompson not appearing at College GameDay

PULLMAN – It won’t be a former Washington State standout and Golden State Warriors All-Star on set as ESPN College GameDay’s guest picker Saturday morning in Pullman.

Television play-by-play commentator Dave Pasch reported Wednesday evening on a Dallas Mavericks-Phoenix Suns broadcast that Klay Thompson would return to his alma mater to join College GameDay hosts for Saturday’s show – the first on the WSU campus.

The Spokesman-Review confirmed with a Warriors media relations official that Thompson won’t be traveling to Pullman and will remain with the Warriors on a two-game road trip that sees Golden State play at Utah on Friday and at Denver on Sunday.

Anthony Slater of The Athletic first reported the news.

In an interview with The Spokesman-Review Thursday morning, longtime ESPN College GameDay research producer Chris Fallica said the show had been considering Thompson, though he couldn’t confirm that the Warriors star had agreed to show up.

“I hadn’t heard that it was official, but I saw that little bit that someone tweeted out,” Fallica said. “I knew we had kicked around (Klay), I had suggested obviously Ryan (Leaf) and Drew (Bledsoe).”

A Warriors official didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail seeking confirmation on The Athletic report.