Klay Thompson, all pro guard for the Golden State Warriors and son of Bahamian Mychal Thompson of NBA fame, rakes Donald Trump over the coals for not offering TPS (Temporary Protected Status) to Bahamians after Hurricane Dorian recently ran over the island.

TPS provides designated foreigners shelter in America while their countries and homes get rebuilt.  Like so many U.S. programs, it gets abused.  Several thousand Haitians came to America ten years ago and are still here without legal status.  The Trump administration has been pushing Congress to deal with this situation via appropriate legislation, but Congress seems content to work from court order to court order on it rather than fixing it once and for all.

Thompson's family runs a celebrity golf tournament that he says is donating all proceeds this year to the Bahamian recovery.  He does not say how much he personally plans to toss into the kitty, and none of his rich celebrity friends has indicated his contributions, if any.

It's hard to feel much sympathy for Thompson for several reasons.  First, Thompson himself just signed a 5-year, $190M contract.  If he feels all that strongly about this, he should be setting a personal example by coughing up a million or so bucks out of his own pocket.  One million out of 190M would be half a percent of his income.  It's hard to believe he would even notice it.

Second, the Bahamas is part of the British Commonwealth and not part of the United States.  If any higher government (than that of the Bahamas) has a responsibility here, it's the Brits.

Third, Thompson comes across as another rich ingrate.  His message noted that Americans vacation in the Bahamas and are welcomed with open arms.  Whoop-de-doo.  The Bahamian economy relies on tourism, so any love is more likely for American dollars than Americans per se.

Fourth, since this "appeal" for help comes in the form of an attack on President Trump, one gets the distinct impression that the attack has priority in Thompson's heart over getting aid to suffering Bahamians.  Thompson may be feeling pressure to parade his Lefty bona fides among the West Coast glitterati, perhaps to keep up with fellow Splash Brother Stephen Curry, who just forked over $31M for another pricey home in the Bay Area.

Lastly, relatively few ordinary Americans have ever been to the Bahamas because they can't afford it.  Nor do many feel more love now that super-rich Klay Thompson makes it sound as if we owe them.  Any appreciation we may feel is akin to that for Disney World, which also doesn't get TPS.

Klay Thompson, button yer lip, get over your injury, and get back to playing basketball.  We love you on court.  Off court, let's just say fundraising isn't your strong suit.

Image: House of Highlights via YouTube.