You've probably seen the videos. A tall guy with a goatee, wearing a full Golden State Warriors uniform, casually walking through an arena tunnel while security guards nod him through. He looks like Klay. He walks like Klay. He even has that slightly vacant, "I just woke up from a nap on my boat" expression that the real Klay Thompson is famous for.
But it wasn't Klay.
It was Dawson Gurley, the internet's most notorious Klay Thompson look alike. Most people call him "Fake Klay." For years, he was a fixture of the Warriors' dynasty, a weird sort of secondary mascot who hovered on the edges of the team’s championship runs. Then, in 2022, everything went sideways.
The Stunt That Ended It All
Honestly, the way it went down is kind of legendary. During Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals, Gurley didn't just sit courtside. He didn't just take selfies with fans who thought they were meeting a future Hall of Famer. He actually walked past five separate layers of security at Chase Center without ever showing an ID.
He didn't sneak in through a back door. He didn't pick a lock. He just walked in.
Security guards saw the 6'4" frame, the signature headband, and the Warriors warm-ups and basically said, "Right this way, Mr. Thompson." He spent 10 minutes on the actual court during warm-ups, putting up shots and living the dream.
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It wasn't until a security official realized that the actual Klay Thompson was likely still in the locker room (or at least hadn't walked past them recently) that the jig was up. The Warriors weren't laughing. They handed him a lifetime ban.
"Banned because I walked past 5 layers of security guards... and shot around on the court for 10 minutes. I also spent 10K on tickets which they are not refunding." — Dawson Gurley via Twitter (X).
Why the Warriors Banned a Fan Favorite
Look, it’s easy to think the Warriors were being "no-fun" corporate stiffs. But if you think about it from a security perspective, it’s a total nightmare. If a YouTuber can get on the court just by looking like a player, who else can?
The ban wasn't just for Chase Center. It included Kaiser Permanente Arena (home of the Santa Cruz Warriors). Basically, Gurley became persona non grata in the entire Warriors ecosystem.
Some fans argued it was the security's fault. "If your guards are that incompetent, why punish the guy who proved it?" others asked. But the team's stance was clear: impersonating a player to gain access to restricted areas is a massive liability.
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The Weird Psychology of Being a Look Alike
What's wild about the Klay Thompson look alike phenomenon is how much it relied on Klay's own personality. Real Klay is famously eccentric. He reads newspapers on the bench. He forgets his jersey. He’s the "Antichrist of ego" in a league full of superstars.
Because Klay is so laid back, people expected him to do weird stuff.
If someone tried to pull this off as LeBron James or Kevin Durant, it probably wouldn't work. Those guys are surrounded by personal security and have a specific "vibe" that’s hard to mimic. Klay? Klay is just a guy who likes his dog and his boat. That's why Gurley was able to trick so many people for so long.
Life After the Ban
So, where is Fake Klay now?
When Klay Thompson famously left the Warriors for the Dallas Mavericks in 2024, the internet immediately started wondering if the look alike would follow suit. After all, a lifetime ban at Chase Center doesn't necessarily apply to the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
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Gurley has built a massive following—over 10 million subscribers on his BigDawsTv YouTube channel—so he's doing just fine. But the "Fake Klay" era of Warriors basketball is officially dead. It was a weird, five-year fever dream where a guy who sort of looked like a Splash Brother became a minor celebrity just by existing in the same zip code as Steph Curry.
What We Can Learn From the Fake Klay Saga
If you’re ever tempted to try and sneak into an NBA game by putting on a jersey, maybe don’t. Here are a few reality checks:
- Security is much tighter now. You can bet every arena in the league got a memo after the 2022 incident.
- The legal risk is real. The Warriors threatened Gurley with criminal trespass. Even if they didn't follow through, a night in jail is a high price for a YouTube prank.
- Tickets aren't refundable. If you get kicked out for a stunt, you're losing whatever you paid for those seats. In Gurley's case, that was 10 grand.
The era of the "unauthorized" Klay Thompson look alike might be over at Chase Center, but the story remains one of the funniest—and most embarrassing—security lapses in modern sports history.
If you want to stay on the right side of the law while still celebrating your favorite players, stick to the stands. The view is better when you aren't worried about being escorted out by handcuffs.
Check out the official NBA security guidelines or your local arena's code of conduct before your next game to make sure you're not inadvertently crossing a line that could get you banned for life.