Klay Thompson
No. 11 – Golden State Warriors | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Position | Shooting guard | ||||||||||||||||||||
League | NBA | ||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Los Angeles, California | February 8, 1990||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
High school | Santa Margarita Catholic (Rancho Santa Margarita, California) | ||||||||||||||||||||
College | Washington State (2008–2011) | ||||||||||||||||||||
NBA draft | 2011: 1st round, 11th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||||
Selected by the Golden State Warriors | |||||||||||||||||||||
Playing career | 2011–present | ||||||||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||
2011–present | Golden State Warriors | ||||||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball Reference | |||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Klay Alexander Thompson (born February 8, 1999)[1] is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The son of former NBA player Mychal Thompson, he played college basketball for three seasons at Washington State University before being selected by Golden State with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. In 2014, he and teammate Stephen Curry set an NBA record with 484 combined three-pointers in a season[2] as the pair were given the nickname the "Splash Brothers".[3][4] Thompson was named an NBA All-Star and selected to the All-NBA Team in 2015, and helped lead the Warriors to their first NBA championship since 1975.
High school career
Thompson was born in Los Angeles. At age 2, his family moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon, where he was childhood friends and Little League teammates with fellow future NBA star Kevin Love.[5] At age 14 Thompson moved with his family to Ladera Ranch, California, and graduated from Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita in 2008.[1] In his junior season he was named to the All-Area second team and to the Orange County third team. As a senior Thompson averaged 21 points per game and led SMCHS to a 30–5 record and a Division III State Championship appearance.[1][6] During the state championship, Thompson set a state finals record with seven 3-pointers in a game.[6] He was named Division III State player of the year, League MVP, first-team Best in the West, and an EA Sports Second Team All American.[1]
Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Thompson was listed as the No. 6 shooting guard and the No. 51 player in the nation in 2008.[7]
College career
Freshman season
As a freshman, Thompson started all 33 games at Washington State University. He was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team and Collegehoops.net All-Freshman Honorable Mention Team after leading his team in 3-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage, and averaging 12.5 points per game.
Sophomore season
Thompson began his sophomore season by leading the Cougars to the Great Alaska Shootout Championship, of which he was named Most Outstanding Player after scoring a tournament single game record of 43 points in the championship game.[1][8] This was also the third highest single game point total in WSU history.[1] After becoming the third fastest Cougar to reach 1,000 points, Thompson was named to the All Pac-10 First Team.[1][9] He earned Pac-10 Player of the Week honors twice during the season and was chosen as a midseason candidate for the John R. Wooden Award.[1][10] Thompson finished the season averaging 19.6 points, which was second in the conference.[11]
Junior season
As a junior, Thompson again earned All-Pac-10 first team honors after leading the Pac-10 in scoring.[12][13] He became just the third Cougar to win first-team all-district honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches twice in his career.[12] In addition, he became the first Cougar to win Pac-10 Player of the Week three times when he won the award for the week of Nov. 22–28.[14] He also won the award for the week of December 6–12.[15] Soon after, Thompson was named one of the 30 midseason candidates for the John R. Wooden Award.[16] In the 2011 Pac-10 tournament, he set tournament records with 43 points and 8 three pointers.[17] Thompson finished the season by setting WSU's single season scoring record with 733 points.[18] He is WSU's 3rd all-time leading scorer.[12]
College statistics
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008–09 | Washington State | 33 | 33 | 33.1 | .421 | .412 | .903 | 4.2 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 12.5 |
2009–10 | Washington State | 31 | 30 | 35.4 | .412 | .364 | .801 | 5.1 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 19.6 |
2010–11 | Washington State | 34 | 33 | 34.7 | .436 | .398 | .838 | 5.2 | 3.7 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 21.6 |
Career | 98 | 96 | 34.4 | .424 | .390 | .827 | 4.8 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 17.9 |
Professional career
Golden State Warriors (2011–present)
2011–12 season
Thompson declared for, and opted to remain in, the 2011 NBA Draft after his junior season. He was selected 11th overall by the Golden State Warriors.[18] This pick of a guard prompted speculation that the Warriors would trade starting guard Monta Ellis.[19] Warriors general manager Larry Riley praised Thompson for his shooting ability and expressed confidence that Thompson would improve his defensive skills with new coach Mark Jackson.[19]
The NBA did not select Thompson for the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend Rising Stars Challenge. However, in the four games after that decision, Thompson improved in all areas of basketball over his current season averages: points per game (12.5 over 7.6), shooting percentage (54.3% overall including 55.6% for three-pointers, up from 46.7 and 48.1), rebounds (2.8 from 1.6), assists (1.5 from 1.3), steals, and turnovers.[20] The Warriors traded Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks on March 13, 2012.[21] The following game, Thompson scored a season-high 26 points in a loss to the Boston Celtics.[22] A week later, he exceeded his previous high with 27 points in a win over the New Orleans Hornets.[23] As of mid-February 2012, Thompson played around 17 minutes per game,[20] but he played an average 30 minutes per game during the next month.[24] At the end of the season, Thompson was voted to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
2012–13 season
On January 29, 2013, Thompson scored a season-high 32 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers.[25] Warriors coach Mark Jackson said that Thompson and Stephen Curry formed the best shooting duo in NBA history.[26] That season, the two combined made 483 three-pointers, the most ever by an NBA duo.[a][28] The Warriors defeated the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs and would be matched up against the San Antonio Spurs. On May 8, 2013, Thompson recorded a playoff career-high 34 points against San Antonio, hitting 8 out of 9 three point attempts, along with a career-high 14 rebounds. Thompson and the Warriors would go on to lose to the Spurs in six games.
2013–14 season
In the opening game for the Warriors, Thompson scored a season-high 38 points, including 5-of-7 three-pointers.[29] He and Curry set an NBA record for 484 combined threes on the season, besting by one the record they set the previous year.[2] Thompson averaged 18.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists on the year. Thompson and the Warriors entered the 2014 NBA playoffs as the sixth seed in the Western Conference and were matched up with the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round; they lost the series in seven games.
2014–15 season: First All-Star season and First NBA Championship
On October 31, 2014, Thompson signed a four-year contract extension with the Warriors.[30][31] The next day, he scored a then career-high 41 points in the Warriors' 127-104 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[32] On January 23, 2015, Thompson scored a career-high 52 points, with 11 three-pointers, in a 126–101 win over the Sacramento Kings. In the third quarter of that game, he scored an NBA-record 37 points for a single quarter, going 13-for-13 from the field, including nine three-pointers (also a league record for a single quarter). The 13 field goals tied David Thompson's (no relation) record for a quarter.[b][33][34][35] On January 29, 2015, Thompson was named a reserve for the 2015 Western Conference All-Star team for the first time in his career.[36]
On March 8, 2015, Thompson hit 3 three-pointers against the Los Angeles Clippers to pass head coach Steve Kerr (726) on the NBA's all-time list.[37] On March 17, he was ruled out for 7–10 days with a sprained ankle.[38] On June 7, in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Thompson scored a playoff career-high 34 points in a losing effort to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[39][40] The Warriors went on to defeat the Cavaliers in six games to win the NBA championship and end the franchise's 40-year championship drought.
International career
Thompson was a member of the United States national team that won the gold medal in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
NBA career statistics
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
† | Denotes season in which Thompson won an NBA Championship |
Regular season
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011–12 | Golden State | 66 | 29 | 24.4 | .443 | .414 | .868 | 2.4 | 2.0 | .7 | .3 | 12.5 |
2012–13 | Golden State | 82 | 82 | 35.8 | .422 | .401 | .841 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 1.0 | .5 | 16.6 |
2013–14 | Golden State | 81 | 81 | 35.4 | .444 | .417 | .795 | 3.1 | 2.2 | .9 | .5 | 18.4 |
2014–15† | Golden State | 77 | 77 | 31.9 | .463 | .437 | .879 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 1.1 | .8 | 21.7 |
Career | 306 | 269 | 32.2 | .443 | .418 | .846 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 1.0 | .5 | 17.5 | |
All-Star | 1 | 1 | 20.0 | .182 | .111 | 1.000 | 4.0 | 6.0 | .0 | .0 | 7.0 |
Playoffs
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | Golden State | 12 | 12 | 41.3 | .437 | .424 | .833 | 4.6 | 1.8 | 1.0 | .6 | 15.2 |
2014 | Golden State | 7 | 7 | 36.7 | .408 | .364 | .792 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 1.0 | .7 | 16.4 |
2015† | Golden State | 21 | 21 | 36.2 | .446 | .390 | .800 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 0.8 | .9 | 18.6 |
Career | 40 | 40 | 37.8 | .437 | .394 | .800 | 4.0 | 2.5 | .9 | .8 | 17.2 |
Personal
His father, Mychel, has also played in the NBA, while his younger brother, Trayce is a Major League Baseball player. Thompson faced controversy when he was suspended for his final regular season game at WSU after being issued a misdemeanor criminal citation for marijuana possession.[41][42][43]
After winning the NBA championship in 2015, Thompson and his father became the fourth father-son duo to each win a title as players, joining Matt Guokas, Sr. and Jr.; Rick and Brent Barry; and Bill and Luke Walton.[44]
See also
Notes
- ^ Previous record was 435 by the Orlando Magic's Dennis Scott and Nick Anderson in 1995–96.[27]
- ^ The 37 points broke the previous record of 33 held by George Gervin and Carmelo Anthony. The nine three-pointers eclipsed the mark of eight by Michael Redd and Joe Johnson.[33]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Klay Thompsons's WSUCougars.com Profile". Washington State Cougars. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
- ^ a b Steph Curry Sets NBA Record for Most Three-Pointers in a Span of 2 Seasons
- ^ Inside Stuff: Golden State's Splash Brothers
- ^ Like Father, Like Son: Curry & Thompson's NBA Legacies
- ^ Eggers, Kerry (November 5, 2014). "The boyhood bond of Kevin Love and Klay Thompson". Portland Tribune. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ a b "Klay Thompsons's Scout.com Profile". scout.com. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
- ^ Klay Thompson Recruiting Profile
- ^ "Year-by-Year Results". GoSeawolves.com. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
- ^ "2009-2010 Pacific-10 Men's Basketball Honors". gohuskies.com. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
- ^ "Klay Thompson Named Pac-10 Player of the Week". WSUCougars.com. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
- ^ "2009-10 Pacific-10 Conference Season Summary". sports-reference.com. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
- ^ a b c "WSU's Thompson following in Fontaine, Weaver footsteps". scout.com. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
- ^ "2010-11 All-Pac-10" (PDF). pac-10.org. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
- ^ player-of-the-week.aspx "Thompson Named Pac-10 Men's Player of the Week". pac-10.org. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Check|url=
value (help) - ^ "Thompson Named Pac-10 Men's Player of the Week". pac-10.org. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
- ^ "Klay Thompson makes Wooden Award's top 30". scout.com. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
- ^ "Cougs fall despite Thompson's historic night". Scout.com. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
- ^ a b "Klay Thompson staying in draft.publisher=espn.com". Retrieved May 8, 2011.
- ^ a b Simmons, Rusty (June 24, 2011). "Warriors pick a 2-guard: Klay Thompson". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ a b Simmons, Rusty (February 17, 2012). "Warriors' Klay Thompson growing into a top shooter". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ Simmons, Rusty (March 28, 2012). "Warriors' Klay Thompson delivers". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ "Kevin Garnett hits tiebreaking jumper in closing seconds as Celtics edge Warriors". AP. March 14, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ "Klay Thompson's career-high 27 points lift Warriors over Hornets". AP. March 21, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ "Klay Thompson". ESPN. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ "Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers - Recap - January 29, 2013 - ESPN". insider.espn.go.com. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
- ^ "Curry-Thompson: Best Shooting Pair Ever?". NBA. April 25, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
- ^ "Warriors tandem making treys at record pace". NBA.com. Associated Press. April 8, 2013. Archived from the original on May 3, 2013.
- ^ Page, Justin (April 26, 2013). "Warriors duo prolific from deep". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2013.
{{cite news}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ Notebook: Warriors 125, Lakers 94
- ^ "Warriors Sign Klay Thompson to Contract Extension". NBA.com. October 31, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
- ^ Stein, Marc (October 31, 2014). "Sources: Thompson inks 4-year deal". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
- ^ "Thompson scores 41, Warriors beat Lakers 127-104". NBA.com. November 1, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
- ^ a b "New NBA record: Klay Thompson explodes with 37 points in a single quarter". tvnz.co.nz. January 24, 2015. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015.
{{cite news}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ Simmons, Rusty (January 23, 2015). "Thompson's NBA-record 37-point quarter lifts Warriors over Kings". SFGate.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ Ben Golliver, "Warriors' Klay Thompson sets NBA record with 37 points in a quarter," Sports Illustrated, January 24, 2015.
- ^ Klay Thompson Named to Western Conference All-Star Team
- ^ Warriors supporting cast steps up in win over Clippers
- ^ Klay Thompson sidelined by sprain
- ^ LeBron James' triple-double enables Cavs to tie Finals in ugly OT win
- ^ Klay Thompson Scores 34 Points in Losing Game 2 Effort
- ^ Bolch, Ben (March 4, 2011). "Washington State star Klay Thompson is suspended for game against UCLA". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 19, 2011.
- ^ Simers, T. J. (March 5, 2011). "No excuses from Mychal Thompson after Klay Thompson's indiscretion". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 19, 2011.
- ^ Bolch, Ben; Holmes, Baxter (March 7, 2011). "UCLA awaits word on condition of Malcolm Lee's left knee". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 19, 2011.
- ^ Stubbs, Brent (June 19, 2015). "'All He Has To Do Is Stay Humble'". tribune242.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2015.
{{cite news}}
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External links
- Career statistics from NBA.com and Basketball Reference
- Washington State bio
- 1990 births
- Living people
- American people of Bahamian descent
- Basketball players from California
- Golden State Warriors draft picks
- Golden State Warriors players
- National Basketball Association All-Stars
- Shooting guards
- Sportspeople from Los Angeles, California
- Sportspeople from Orange County, California
- United States men's national basketball team players
- Washington State Cougars men's basketball players