Klay Thompson is likely on the path to being an NBA Hall of Famer, but that would have been a crazy thought when his career began. Thompson has put together a tremendous career with the Golden State Warriors, and perhaps more around the NBA should have seen this coming.
The Golden State Warriors have been the most dominant team in the NBA over the past decade, and Thompson has been a major part of the success. A son of a former NBA player, Thompson has been able to go on and have success that his dad would have been jealous of.
The career of Klay Thompson has not only been defined by his ridiculous NBA player stats, but it’s also been defined by devastating injuries. Thompson has continued to do what he has had to do in order to get back on the floor, but the path hasn’t always been easy.
Not A Major College Star
Klay Thompson was born on February 8, 1990, in Los Angeles, California, and he was born into a family with a strong sports background. Klay is the son of Mychal Thompson, a player that enjoyed a long and successful career in the NBA.
Being the son of a former NBA player allowed Thompson to gain some recognition in high school, but he wasn’t a major college prospect. Thompson decided to sign with Washington State, and he did go on to have a nice college career as a member of the Cougars.
After earning back-to-back All-Conference selections in the Pac-10 Conference, it was clear that Thompson was going to get selected in the 2011 NBA Draft. The Golden State Warriors stunned everyone in that draft when they took Thompson with the 14th overall pick to pair him with Stephen Curry.
Thompson was given the green light at the professional level, and he and Curry quickly earned the nickname of the “Splash Brothers.” Both players seemed to find a rhythm with each other right away, but no one knew just how dominant that pair would become.
Klay’s brother Trayce Thompson is also a professional athlete as he is currently with the Los Angeles Dodgers in MLB.
The First Title
It’s not easy to win an NBA championship, and the Golden State Warriors were a team that found that out the hard way. Golden State was starting to assemble a roster that was built for greatness, but they were struggling to find some success under Mark Jackson.
The ownership group in Golden State was right in believing that a coaching change was needed, and bringing in Steve Kerr was the perfect man for the job. Even though the “Splash Brothers” were already putting up huge numbers, it was Kerr that found a way for those two stars to dominate.
Things really started to take off for Thompson and the Warriors in 2014 when the duo set an NBA record for most three-pointers by a pair of teammates. That record would get broken again the next season, and Thompson helped lead the Warriors to an NBA championship in 2015.
Golden State looked to be an easy pick to win the 2016 NBA Championship, even though Thompson took on a smaller role. The Warriors brought in Kevin Durant that season, and they were upset by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Thompson and the Warriors only got better from there as they went on to win the NBA Championship in 2017 and 2018. It appeared as if nothing could go wrong for Thompson or the Warriors, but things fell apart in a big way. Also Read – Kirk Herbstreit: Bio, Wiki, Age, ESPN, NFL, Net Worth & More.
Injuries Pile Up
The Golden State Warriors were massive favorites to win the NBA Championship again in 2019 when they were facing the Toronto Raptors. An injury to Kevin Durant changed that series, and then it was Klay Thompson that suffered the most devastating blow.
In Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Thompson suffered a torn ACL on a drive to the basket, and the Warriors suffered a defeat in the final series of the year. That forced Thompson to miss the entire 2019-20 season, but he was looking to get back on the court the following year.
The unimaginable happened for Thompson and the Warriors when the sharpshooter suffered a torn Achilles tendon during the rehab process. This meant another lost season for Thompson, and the Warriors were one of the worst teams in the league on the floor.
Some wondered if the NBA career for Thompson was over, and it was a fair question to ask. He had suffered a pair of career-threatening injuries in back-to-back seasons, but he continued to spend most of his time around the team.
Steve Kerr and the Warriors continued to hold a spot for Thompson, and the organization believed that he would eventually make a return. That belief proved to be correct, and it might lead to even more titles for the Warriors.
Finally, Redemption
Klay Thompson finally made his return to the floor in January 2022 after missing 31 months of basketball action. There was definitely some rust to shake off, but Thompson was once again joining his Splash Brother and other former teammates.
It took Thompson some time to regain his form, especially on the offensive end, but the signs were there. By the time the NBA Playoffs rolled around that season, Thompson and the Warriors were once again an unstoppable force.
Thompson had a terrific NBA Finals series, and it helped the Warriors win their fourth title in eight years. Golden State is back in the playoffs in 2023, and they could be on their way to another back-to-back title, and the fifth overall.
For his career, Thompson has been named to the NBA All-Star team five times and is a two-time selection to the All-NBA third team. In 2019, Thompson was named to the NBA All-Defensive second team and is widely regarded as one of the best two-way players of his generation.
His jersey has been retired by the Washington State Cougars, and his number will be in the rafters in Golden State after his career as well.