Zach Collins: Warriors Fans Still Send Hate Mail for Klay Thompson Trash Talk

Portland Trail Blazers big man Zach Collins drew the ire of Golden State Warriors fans after he and shooting guard Klay Thompson got into an argument during a February 2019 regular-season game.

Apparently, some fans are so upset that they still send Collins hate mail over one year later.

"I got a lot of hate mail from Warriors fans..." he told Blazers sideline reporter Brooke Olzendam (h/t Jamie Hudson of NBC Sports Northwest). "I still get it to this day. It went on probably the rest of the year."

Collins, 22, also brought fans back into the moment and explained his mindset.

"In that moment I probably said some things I shouldn't have, but you know, I was in the moment, I was hyped. It was against the Warriors and everybody's trying to beat them...We had been going on a run and I was just like, I didn't care who it was—you were getting it that night if you came up to me," Collins said as he smiled.

That beef was even noteworthy enough for Anthony Slater of The Athletic to provide a little background in a 2019 Western Conference Finals preview piece:

"Quick, name the players in history who have worked their way under Thompson's skin. The list is tiny. But Zach Collins is on it. Klay got into it with the Blazers backup center earlier this season. Maybe it's a Gonzaga-Washington State thing. But things tend to get testy when Collins is on the court. That should add some series spice."

The Warriors ended up getting the last laugh against the Blazers in 2019 with a Western Conference Finals series sweep.