Klay Thompson: The Life Story Behind Basketball's Splash Brother

Klay Thompson is a basketball player who made shooting look like the simplest thing in the world. He caught the ball, he rose, he released it, and it went in, again and again, with a form so clean and so repeatable that coaches showed it to young players as the perfect example. He did not need to dribble for twenty seconds, he did not need to create space with tricks, and he did not need the ball in his hands for long. He needed a fraction of a second, a little space, and the ball was on its way to the basket. Alongside Stephen Curry, he formed the Splash Brothers, the greatest shooting backcourt in the history of basketball, and together they changed the way the game is played.

He was born on 8 February 1990 in Los Angeles, California, and he grew up in a basketball family. His father, Mychal Thompson, had played in the NBA, winning two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, and his mother, Julie, had played volleyball. Klay grew up around the game, in gyms and in arenas, and he learned to shoot by watching and by practising, for hours, in his driveway and in school gyms. That practice made him one of the most accurate shooters the NBA has ever seen.

His career is a story of shooting, of championships, and of a comeback from injuries that should have ended his career. He won four NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors, he scored thirty-seven points in a single quarter, a record, and he scored sixty points in twenty-nine minutes, another record. Then he tore his knee, then he tore his Achilles tendon, and he missed two full seasons. He came back, he won another title, and he proved that a great shooter never loses his touch. This is the story of Klay Thompson, the Splash Brother who shot his way into history.

A Basketball Family and a Boy Who Practised His Shot

Klay Alexander Thompson was born in Los Angeles, and he was the second of three sons born to Mychal and Julie Thompson. His father had been the first overall pick in the NBA draft in 1978, and he had played for the Portland Trail Blazers, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Los Angeles Lakers, winning two championships with the Lakers in 1987 and 1988. His mother had played college volleyball, and his brothers, Mychel and Trayce, also became professional athletes, in basketball and in baseball. Klay grew up in a house where sport was a way of life, and where hard work and discipline were expected.

The family moved to Oregon, and then to California, and Klay went to school in Rancho Santa Margarita, where he played basketball at Santa Margarita Catholic High School. He was a good player, but he was not the most famous young player in California, and he was not heavily recruited by the biggest colleges. He worked on his shot, practising for hours, and he developed a form that was clean, quick, and repeatable. He shot with a high release, with a follow-through that coaches loved, and with a confidence that grew with every made basket.

He chose to play college basketball at Washington State University, a school that was not one of the traditional powers, but one that offered him the chance to play and to grow. At Washington State, he played for three seasons, from 2008 to 2011, and he became one of the best players in the Pac-10 conference. He scored more than seventeen points per game in his final season, and he was named to the All-Pac-10 first team. He was not a player who dominated with athleticism. He dominated with shooting, with smart movement, and with a calm that made him reliable in big moments.

In 2011, he entered the NBA draft, and the Golden State Warriors selected him with the eleventh overall pick. It was a good pick, but no one knew at the time how good it would become. The Warriors already had Stephen Curry, a young point guard with a brilliant shot, and they were building a team around shooting and passing. Klay fitted perfectly, because he could shoot, he could defend, and he did not need the ball to be effective. He was the ideal partner for Curry, and together, they would change basketball forever.

Washington State and the Draft That Brought Him to Golden State

At Washington State, Klay Thompson learned to be a leader. The team was not a championship contender, and it did not have the talent of the great college programs, but Klay played with consistency and with heart, and he improved every year. He worked on his defence, he worked on his movement without the ball, and he worked on his shooting, until it became one of the best in college basketball. He also learned to handle pressure, because at Washington State, he was the player that opponents focused on, and he had to find ways to score even when he was double-teamed.

His college career ended in 2011, when he declared for the NBA draft, and the Warriors, who had watched him closely, chose him. The pick was praised, but it was not seen as a franchise-changing pick at the time. Klay was a shooter, and shooters are valuable, but they are not usually the players who change a team’s fortunes. He would prove that wrong, because his shooting, combined with Curry’s, would change not only the Warriors, but the whole NBA, as teams began to copy their style and to value the three-point shot more than ever before.

He made his NBA debut in December 2011, in a season shortened by a lockout, and he played well, scoring points and showing his shooting. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie first team, and he became a starter in his second season, forming a backcourt with Curry that was already one of the best in the league. The two of them, both sons of former NBA players, both brilliant shooters, both humble and hard-working, became known as the Splash Brothers, a name that captured the sound of the ball going through the net, again and again.

The Splash Brothers and a New Way to Play Basketball

The Splash Brothers changed basketball. Before Curry and Thompson, most NBA teams built their offence around big men in the paint, around post play and mid-range shots. Curry and Thompson showed that a team could win by shooting three-pointers, by moving without the ball, and by passing quickly. They shot from distances that other players would not try, and they made those shots, and they forced defences to guard them far from the basket, which opened up space for their teammates. It was a revolution, and it is still shaping the NBA today.

Klay’s role in that revolution was crucial. He was the shooting guard, the player who ran off screens, caught the ball, and shot, often without dribbling. He was also a fine defender, guarding the opponent’s best perimeter player, and he did the hard work that allowed Curry to save his energy for offence. He was not a player who needed the ball to be happy. He was happy to run, to set screens, to defend, and to shoot when the ball came to him. That unselfishness made him the perfect partner for Curry, and it made the Warriors a team that was greater than the sum of its parts.

In the 2014-15 season, the Warriors, coached by Steve Kerr, won the NBA championship, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the final. It was the club’s first title in forty years, and Klay was a key part of it, scoring points, defending, and shooting with accuracy. He was named an All-Star for the first time that season, and he would be named an All-Star five times in his career. The Warriors had arrived, and the Splash Brothers were at the centre of it all.

The following season, 2015-16, the Warriors won seventy-three regular-season games, a record, breaking the mark set by the Chicago Bulls in 1996. They reached the final again, but they lost to Cleveland, in a series that went to seven games. It was a painful defeat, but it did not diminish what Klay and Curry had achieved. They had changed the game, and they had made the Warriors the most exciting team in basketball, and the whole world was watching them.

Thirty-Seven Points in a Quarter and Sixty in Twenty-Nine Minutes

Klay Thompson holds two of the most remarkable scoring records in NBA history, and both of them show what he could do when he got hot. On 23 January 2015, against the Sacramento Kings, he scored thirty-seven points in the third quarter alone, a record for points in a single quarter, making all thirteen of his shots, including nine three-pointers. He did it in twelve minutes, and he did it without dribbling much, catching and shooting, again and again, as the crowd roared and his teammates fed him the ball. It was a performance that seemed impossible, and it is still talked about as one of the greatest quarters in basketball history.

Then, on 5 December 2016, against the Indiana Pacers, he scored sixty points in twenty-nine minutes, another record, for the fewest minutes needed to score sixty points. He took only eleven dribbles in the whole game, a statistic that became famous, because it showed how little he needed the ball to score. He caught, he shot, and he scored, and he did it with a efficiency that no other player has matched. Those two performances are the essence of Klay Thompson: a shooter who, when he is hot, cannot be stopped, and who does not need the ball to be great.

He also played in the 2016 Olympics in Rio, winning a gold medal with the United States, and he won more titles with the Warriors, in 2017 and 2018, as the team added Kevin Durant and became even stronger. He scored in finals, he defended the best players, and he was a key part of a dynasty that won three titles in four years. He was not the most famous player on the team, but he was one of its most important, and his teammates and coaches knew it. He was the player who could change a game with a hot streak, and who could defend the opponent’s best scorer, and that combination is rare and valuable.

Two Terrible Injuries and Two Seasons Away from the Game

In June 2019, in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, Klay Thompson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. It was a terrible injury, suffered on the biggest stage, in a match that the Warriors lost, and it ended his season. He had surgery, and he began the long process of recovery, working in the gym, in the pool, and on the court, to rebuild his knee and his strength. He was expected to miss the 2019-20 season, and he did, but worse was to come.

In November 2020, as he was preparing to return, he tore his right Achilles tendon in a workout, a devastating injury that meant he would miss the 2020-21 season as well. He had now missed two full seasons, and many people wondered whether he would ever play again at the same level. He was thirty years old, he had suffered two of the worst injuries a basketball player can suffer, and he faced a recovery that would take more than a year, with no guarantee of success. It was a dark time, and he has spoken about how hard it was, mentally as well as physically, to be away from the game he loved.

He worked through the recovery with the same discipline that had made him a great shooter, and he slowly returned to fitness. He practised his shot, he rebuilt his legs, and he waited for the day when he could play again. That day came on 9 January 2022, when he returned to the court for the Warriors against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the crowd at the Chase Center gave him a standing ovation. He scored seventeen points in that match, and he played with the same joy and the same shooting that had made him famous. It was a moment of triumph, not only for Klay, but for everyone who had watched him fight his way back.

He helped the Warriors win the championship again in 2022, beating the Boston Celtics in the final, and it was his fourth title, and perhaps his most meaningful, because it came after two years away, and after so much doubt. He had proved that he could come back, that his shot had not left him, and that he was still one of the great shooters in the game. That championship was a reward for his patience, and for his hard work, and it was a fitting end to his time with the Warriors, though he did not know it at the time.

Dallas, a New Chapter, and the Shooter’s Legacy

In the summer of 2024, Klay Thompson left the Golden State Warriors and joined the Dallas Mavericks, ending a thirteen-year career with the club that had drafted him. It was a difficult decision, and it was a sad moment for Warriors fans, who had loved him for so long, and for Klay himself, who had spent his whole career in Golden State. He left because the club and he could not agree on a new contract, and because he wanted a fresh start, a place where he could play and where he could be valued. He joined Dallas, a team that had reached the NBA Finals in 2024, and he played alongside Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, two of the best players in the league.

His move to Dallas was a new chapter, and it showed that, even in his mid-thirties, he was still a player that contending teams wanted. He scored points, he shot three-pointers, and he brought his championship experience to a young team. He was no longer the player who scored thirty-seven points in a quarter, but he was still a dangerous shooter, and a respected veteran, and a man who had won four titles and who knew what it took to win.

His legacy is secure. He is one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, he is a four-time champion, a five-time All-Star, and a member of the Splash Brothers, the backcourt that changed basketball. He is also a player who came back from two terrible injuries to win another title, and who showed that a great shooter never loses his touch, even after two years away. He is remembered for his shot, for his defence, and for his calm, humble manner, and he is loved by Warriors fans, who will always remember the thirteen years he gave them.

Defence, the Other Half of the Splash Brother

Klay Thompson is remembered as a shooter, but his defence was just as important to the Warriors, and it deserves to be celebrated, because it is the part of his game that made him a complete player. He guarded the opponent’s best perimeter player, night after night, and he did it with a calm and a discipline that made scoring against him hard. He was tall for a shooting guard, he was strong, and he had quick feet, and he used those gifts to stay in front of his man, to contest shots, and to make life difficult for the best scorers in the league. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive second team in 2019, a recognition of how highly coaches regarded his defence, and it was a fitting honour for a player who did the hard work that fans often overlook.

His defence was built on fundamentals, on staying low, on moving his feet, and on using his hands without fouling. He did not gamble for steals, and he did not take risks that left his team exposed. He stayed with his man, he fought through screens, and he contested every shot, and that consistency made him a player that his teammates trusted. When Curry needed a rest on defence, Klay took the harder assignment, and when the Warriors needed a stop in a big moment, Klay was often the man who provided it. That willingness to do the hard work, to guard the best player, is a mark of a great teammate, and it is one of the reasons the Warriors won four titles with him.

He also rebounded well for a guard, and he helped the Warriors on the boards, boxing out, and fighting for loose balls. He was not a player who only cared about scoring. He cared about winning, and he understood that winning requires defence, rebounding, and hard work, as well as shooting. That understanding made him a complete player, and it made him a player that Steve Kerr, his coach, trusted in every situation, in the regular season and in the Finals, against the best players in the world.

His shooting and his defence together made him unique. There are many great shooters in NBA history, and there are many great defenders, but there are few players who were great at both, and who did both for a championship team, for more than a decade. Klay was one of those few, and that is why his legacy is secure, not only as a shooter, but as a two-way player, a man who could score thirty-seven points in a quarter, and who could also guard the opponent’s best scorer, in the same game, on the same night. That combination is rare, and it is worth remembering, whenever people talk about the Splash Brothers, and about what made them great.

He also played with a calm that made his defence even more effective. He did not trash talk, he did not celebrate loudly, and he did not show emotion, even when he made a great defensive play. He simply ran back down the court, ready for the next possession, and that calm unnerved opponents, who could not tell whether he was tired, or hurt, or frustrated. He was always the same: focused, disciplined, and ready. That calm, that professionalism, is a lesson for young players, who often think that defence is about effort alone. Klay shows that defence is also about intelligence, about positioning, and about a calm mind, and that a player who defends with his head, as well as with his body, will always be a great defender.

My Take:

I think Klay Thompson is the purest shooter I have ever watched, and I mean pure in the sense that his shot was clean, simple, and beautiful, without any wasted movement. When he caught the ball, he rose, he released, and the ball went in, and it looked so easy that you might think anyone could do it. But anyone cannot do it, because to shoot like Klay takes years of practice, a perfect form, and a calm mind. I have watched his shot many times, and I still admire it, because it is a reminder that in sport, as in life, simplicity is often the hardest thing to achieve, and the most beautiful when it is achieved.

What I admire most is his unselfishness. He did not need the ball to be happy. He ran off screens, he set screens, he defended, and he waited for his chance. When the ball came to him, he shot, and when it did not, he worked for his teammates. That unselfishness is rare in a league where many players want the ball all the time, and it is why he was the perfect partner for Stephen Curry. Curry needed a player who would not demand the ball, who would space the floor, and who would defend, and Klay was that player. Together, they made each other better, and they made the Warriors better, and that is a lesson for all of us: sometimes the best way to help a team is not to take over, but to do your job well, and to trust your teammates to do theirs.

The thirty-seven points in a quarter is the performance I think about most, because it is so hard to believe. Thirteen shots, thirteen makes, nine three-pointers, in twelve minutes. I try to imagine what that felt like, to be so hot that every shot goes in, to hear the crowd roar with every make, and to know that you are doing something that no one has ever done before. It must have felt like a dream, and it must have felt like the game had slowed down, and that the basket had become as big as the ocean. I am glad that I got to watch it, even if only on video, because it is one of those moments that reminds you why sport matters: it can produce moments of perfection, moments that seem impossible, and moments that stay with you forever.

There is a sadness in his story, and it is the sadness of the two injuries. He tore his knee in the Finals in 2019, and then he tore his Achilles in 2020, and he missed two full seasons. For a player who had been so durable, so reliable, and so consistent, to lose two years to injury must have been devastating. He has spoken about how hard it was, mentally, to be away from the game, to watch his teammates play without him, and to wonder whether he would ever be the same. I feel sympathy for him, because injuries are the cruelest part of sport, and they take away the thing a player loves most, without warning, and without fairness.

What I learn from his comeback is that patience matters. He did not rush back, he did not try to play before he was ready, and he worked, day by day, to rebuild his body and his game. When he returned in January 2022, he was not the same player he had been in 2019, but he was still a great shooter, and he was still a champion, and he helped the Warriors win another title that same year. That comeback teaches me that a setback, even a terrible one, is not the end, and that if you are patient, and you work, you can come back, even if you come back a little different. That is a hopeful lesson, and it is one I will remember.

I also admire his humility. He was never a loud player, he never sought attention, and he never boasted about his records. He played, he shot, and he went home, often to spend time with his dog, Rocco, who became famous in his own right. That humility is refreshing in a league full of big personalities, and it is one of the reasons fans loved him. He was a star, but he behaved like a normal person, and that made him easier to love. I think more athletes should learn from him, because humility does not diminish greatness. It makes greatness more appealing.

If I have to name a flaw, it is that his game, for all its brilliance, was limited in some ways. He was not a great ball-handler, he was not a player who created his own shot off the dribble, and he relied on his teammates to create chances for him. That is not a criticism of his shooting, which was perfect, but it is a fact about his game, and it meant that when his teammates were not creating, he could struggle. He knew that, and he worked on his defence and his movement to make up for it, but his game was built around shooting, and shooting needs a pass. I do not hold that against him, because he was the best in the world at what he did, and that is enough. But it is part of the truth, and the truth is what makes his story real.

In the end, I think Klay Thompson’s life is a story of a shooter, a brother, and a comeback. He was a shooter who made the hardest shots look easy, a brother to Stephen Curry in the Splash Brothers, and a man who came back from two terrible injuries to win another championship. He gave the Warriors thirteen years, four titles, and countless memories, and he left as one of the greatest players in the club’s history. I am grateful that basketball had a player like him, because he showed us that shooting can be an art, that unselfishness can be a strength, and that a great player can come back, even after two years away, and still be great.

I will remember him for the thirty-seven points, for the sixty points in twenty-nine minutes, and for the night he returned in January 2022, when the crowd stood and cheered, and he scored, and he smiled. Those moments stay with me, because they are moments of joy, of perfection, and of triumph over adversity. He was a Splash Brother, and the splash, the sound of the ball going through the net, will always be his sound, and it will always make me smile when I hear it.

I also want to say more about his defence, because it is the part of his game that people forget, and it deserves to be remembered. He guarded the best player on the other team, night after night, and he did it with a calm and a discipline that made scoring against him hard. He was named to the All-Defensive team, and that honour matters, because it shows that coaches, who understand the game, valued his defence as much as his shooting. I think young players should study his defence, not only his shot, because defence is what wins championships, and Klay won four of them, in large part, because he defended, and because he did the hard work that fans often overlook.

There is another thing I admire about him, and it is his relationship with Stephen Curry. The two of them were not rivals, even though they played the same position, and even though they both wanted to shoot. They were brothers, in the Splash Brothers, and they made each other better, by spacing the floor, by passing, and by trusting each other. That trust is rare in a league where many players compete for shots, and for attention, and it is a lesson for all of us: when you trust your partner, and when you work together, you can achieve things that neither of you could achieve alone. Curry and Thompson proved that, for more than a decade, and their partnership is one of the great partnerships in basketball history.

I also think about his dog, Rocco, and about the way Klay lived his life off the court, with a calm and a simplicity that was refreshing. He was not a player who sought attention, who posted constantly, or who tried to be a celebrity. He played, he went home, he spent time with his dog, and he lived a quiet life. That humility is a part of who he is, and it is a part that fans loved, because it made him relatable, and because it showed that a star can be a normal person, who loves his dog, and who enjoys a quiet life. I think more athletes should learn from him, because humility does not diminish greatness. It makes it more appealing, and more human.

I also think about his move to Dallas, and about how hard it must have been to leave Golden State after thirteen years. He had spent his whole career there, he had won four titles, and he had become a legend, and then he left, because the club and he could not agree on a new contract. That is a sad ending to a great partnership, and I feel sympathy for him, and for the fans, who loved him, and who did not want him to go. But I also respect his decision, because he wanted a fresh start, and because he wanted to be valued, and because he believed he could still play at a high level. That belief, that refusal to accept that his career was over, is a lesson for all of us: when one door closes, another opens, and you must be brave enough to walk through it.

Finally, I think his comeback from two terrible injuries is one of the great stories in modern basketball, and it deserves to be told again and again. He tore his knee, he tore his Achilles, he missed two full seasons, and many people thought he would never play again. He did not listen to those people. He worked, he waited, and he came back, and he won another championship in 2022. That comeback teaches me that patience matters, that hard work matters, and that a setback, even a terrible one, is not the end, unless you decide it is. Klay decided it was not the end, and he proved it, on the court, in front of a crowd that stood and cheered, and that is a moment I will never forget.

I also think about his father, Mychal, and about what it meant to grow up in a basketball family, with a father who had won two championships with the Lakers, and with brothers who also became professional athletes. That family, that love of the game, shaped Klay into the player he became, a shooter who practised for hours, a defender who worked hard, and a man who understood that basketball is a team game, and that hard work matters more than talent alone. He learned those lessons at home, in the driveway, and in the gym, and he carried them with him to Washington State, to Golden State, and to Dallas, and they are a part of his legacy that deserves to be remembered, alongside his records, and his titles.

One more thing I admire is the way he played in the 2022 Finals, against Boston, after two years away, and helped the Warriors win another championship. He was not the same player he had been in 2019, but he was still a great shooter, and he was still a champion, and he scored points when his team needed him, and he defended with the same discipline that had always defined him. That Finals win was a reward for his patience, and for his hard work, and it was a fitting end to his time with the Warriors, even though he did not know it at the time, and even though he would leave two years later, for Dallas, in search of a fresh start.

And I think about the Splash Brothers, and about how Curry and Thompson changed basketball, together, by shooting three-pointers, by moving without the ball, and by playing with a joy that made the game beautiful to watch. That partnership is one of the great partnerships in the history of the sport, and it is a reminder that two players, working together, can change a game, and can inspire a whole generation of young players to shoot, to pass, and to play with unselfishness. Klay was half of that partnership, and he will always be remembered as a Splash Brother, and that is a title that no injury, and no move, can ever take away from him.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many NBA titles did Klay Thompson win with Golden State?

He won four NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors, in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022. He was a key part of all four title teams, as a shooter and a defender alongside Stephen Curry.

What is Klay Thompson’s record for points in a quarter?

On 23 January 2015, against the Sacramento Kings, he scored thirty-seven points in the third quarter, making all thirteen of his shots, including nine three-pointers. It remains the NBA record for points in a single quarter.

How many points did Klay Thompson score in twenty-nine minutes?

On 5 December 2016, against the Indiana Pacers, he scored sixty points in only twenty-nine minutes, taking just eleven dribbles in the whole game. It is a record for the fewest minutes needed to score sixty points.

What injuries kept Klay Thompson out for two seasons?

He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the 2019 NBA Finals, and then, in November 2020, he tore his right Achilles tendon in a workout. He missed the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, returning in January 2022.

Why is Klay Thompson called a Splash Brother?

He and Stephen Curry were called the Splash Brothers because of their brilliant three-point shooting, which made the ball splash through the net again and again. Together, they formed the greatest shooting backcourt in NBA history.

When did Klay Thompson leave the Golden State Warriors?

He left Golden State in the summer of 2024, after thirteen seasons, and joined the Dallas Mavericks. He had been drafted by the Warriors in 2011 and had spent his whole career there until the move.

Did Klay Thompson win an Olympic gold medal?

Yes, he won a gold medal with the United States at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, playing alongside many of the best players in the NBA.