Klay Thompson’s form remains identical every time he shoots the ball.
His base is wide, with his feet parallel to his shoulders. His elbow is at a 90-degree angle. His hand is right underneath the ball. He holds his follow-through well after the ball leaves his fingertips. Make or miss, Thompson keeps his eyes on the ball until it reaches its destination.
It’s a fundamental jump shot most coaches would teach their players to emulate. It’s almost like a reverse waterfall, an analogy Thompson often uses because of the fluidity from the bottom of his feet to the peak of his release.
Repetition and countless hours of practice have led to the perfection of his jumper. Thompson’s coaches, teammates and family members attribute his success to his intense work ethic. He practices off-balance shots as a way to simulate live-game action. He goes through a series of pump fakes until the time is right to shoot. He groans when the ball goes halfway through the hoop, but mysteriously pops out. He pumps his fist after a perfect round in a shooting drill.
Despite four championships, five All-Star appearances, a couple of gold medals, two devastating leg injuries and a somber ending to the dynasty he helped create with the Golden State Warriors, Thompson enters a new chapter in Dallas driven to prove that he still has more left in the tank.
“I’m more motivated than ever,” he said after his preseason debut with the Mavericks this month.
Thompson enters his 14th season in the NBA in an unfamiliar place. He’s one of the newest residents of North Texas after spending his first 13 seasons in the Bay Area with the Warriors. Aside from his childhood home in Portland suburb and his three years at Washington State, Thompson has never lived outside of California.
In a different reality, he’d be suiting up for another year with the Warriors, seeking a chance to compete for a fifth championship with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, coached by Steve Kerr. It’s a new opportunity for the Splash Brother, but without his splash partner.
Thompson will still have an opportunity to chase that fifth ring, but with a cast of running mates who think he might be the final piece they need after being on the brink of a championship last season.
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison had found a co-star for Luka Doncic in Kyrie Irving. Dereck Lively II emerged as a steal in last year’s draft class. Midseason trades to acquire P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford helped transform the team into a title contender.
Thompson, the Mavericks’ blockbuster offseason acquisition, could complete the puzzle.
The chance to bring that kind of value to a team, as well as the need for a fresh start, compelled Thompson to join the Mavericks. In his words, “Sometimes change can spur greatness.”
If you ask his father, winning another championship is the path to achieving that greatness.
“He wants to win again,” Mychal Thompson told The Dallas Morning News in a recent interview. “He wants to get to that Kobe level of five rings. That’s his motivation.”
‘Mamba’ beginnings
Thompson was 10 years old when Mychal Thompson told his wife, Julie, that their middle son was going to be an NBA player.
Mychal Thompson, the top overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, played 12 seasons in the NBA. He realized that Klay — even as an adolescent — had a natural passion for basketball, an innate shooting ability and the willingness to hone his skills.
Those who know Klay Thompson (the person, not the basketball player) would call him introspective, which stemmed from growing up in the scenic suburbs of Portland. His interests include fine art and cinematography. He owns a bike and loves to golf. He’s curious and has always had an appreciation for nature, his father said, and he enjoys being around water, especially when it’s boating season. It’s why he hosted several of his new Mavericks teammates on his yacht during the offseason. Reading is one of his favorite hobbies, evident in his pregame routine of reading local newspapers to relax his mind.
Thompson usually has a reserved disposition. He’s quiet, even around his teammates, and doesn’t say more than is required. But under the surface, there’s an edginess about him that comes alive on the basketball court. It starts with the desire to get better every day.
“He had that work ethic even as a little kid,” Mychal Thompson told The News.
Klay Thompson’s work ethic came naturally as a child, but it was enhanced from working with NBA role models, such as his father, the late Kobe Bryant, Clyde Drexler and others. He had a network of professional basketball players at his disposal for advice, consultation and even to serve as workout partners.
“My goodness, you have that kind of access, that kind of a privilege to be able to work out with Kobe?” Mychal Thompson said. “I didn’t have to say nothing.”
Bryant would often work out in Irvine, Calif., roughly 20 minutes from where Klay Thompson graduated from Santa Margarita Catholic High School. Klay would run into Bryant and the two would work out together — a trend that continued once Thompson entered the NBA.
“He knew that was very special and meant everything to him to be able to work out with somebody like that,” Mychal Thompson said. “And then of course to be able to talk to people like Rasheed Wallace.
“Magic Johnson pulled him aside and said, ‘Listen, son, this is what you need to do [to be a successful basketball player]. I didn’t have to tell him anything when those guys are in his ear.”
Bryant was Thompson’s childhood idol. The multiple championships, explosive scoring performances and perhaps most importantly, his work ethic (now coined The Mamba Mentality), piqued the young Thompson’s interest. His favorite memory of Bryant occurred late one night during the 2013 NBA Global Games when the Warriors were in China for a preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Thompson recalled the story last year on an episode of the “All the Smoke” podcast.
“I can’t sleep because that jet lag is crazy,” Thompson said. “I go up to the weight room and I’m on the dumbbell bench and someone just taps me on the shoulder. I look up and I’m like, ‘Aw damn.’ It was Kobe. Hood on. Shades on. ... He just goes, ‘Sup.’ Shakes my hand. Goes to the other side of the gym. Starts doing his workout or whatever. ... That was my favorite memory with Kob.”
Klay Thompson was raised a fan of the Lakers, his father’s team for five seasons from 1986-91. Mychal Thompson won two championships alongside Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy. He remains with the Lakers as the team’s radio broadcaster.
When his son decided to join the Mavericks in the offseason, Mychal wasn’t initially thrilled with the choice, but he supported the decision because he knew the move made sense, regardless of his feelings.
“I thought [Los Angeles] would be a perfect place to end his career,” Mychal Thompson said, “But he’s found a really good place to end his career, so I can’t be mad at it, man. I understand why he chose Dallas. It’s a franchise on the rise with two legendary players, a great coach with Jason Kidd. Even though he didn’t pick the Lakers, he certainly picked correctly with Dallas.”
One chapter closes, a new chapter begins
The night of the Mavericks’ first preseason game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Thompson isn’t playing, but he goes through his pregame routine as if he were in the starting lineup.
One by one, Thompson winds up and launches 3-pointer after 3-pointer. The net snaps every time the ball goes through the basket. After breaking just enough of a sweat, Thompson exits the court and heads toward the tunnel toward the Mavericks’ locker room. He stops to pose for pictures and sign autographs for a group of fans.
Thompson’s unofficial debut came three days later against the Utah Jazz. The first-game jitters were the most nerves he’s had since his first NBA Finals game in 2015, he said. Even more revealing was his postgame news conference, when he laid out his intent to dispel any doubts about his defensive capabilities. He lauded Doncic and Irving’s offensive skillsets, which he believes will allow him to devote more energy on the defensive end.
“I still want to get rid of that notion that I’m not the same defender as I once was,” Thompson said. “I truly believe I am and I’m excited to prove people wrong, that I can still guard the elite players in this league.”
It’s another sign of Thompson’s motivations to prove to others, and possibly himself, that he’s still capable of playing at an All-Star level despite two serious injuries. Thompson earned an All-Defensive Second Team honor, just before he tore his ACL in his left knee during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, which caused him to miss the entire 2019-20 season. He ruptured his Achilles tendon in his right leg in November 2020, which took another season from him and then some.
Thompson averaged 17.9 points on 38% from beyond the arc last season, which his former coach with the Warriors said is a testament to his determination.
“At his core, he’s a winner,” Kerr told The News. “He loves to win. I’ve seen him in the Finals. He got a charley horse in the Finals [2017] and his whole leg was purple and yellow and he didn’t miss a game. This guy is incredible. ... He’s obviously been a great player, but more than that, just a great competitor.
The Golden State coach said he thinks the two major injuries had both physical and mental effects on Thompson because he rarely missed games.
“It’s been tough for him trying to overcome that,” Kerr said. “I think a big part of the beginning of the season for Klay is to establish his health and make sure he’s good and ready to go.”
Thompson, Irving and Doncic will make their long-awaited debut as the Mavericks’ new “Big Three” in Thursday’s season opener against the San Antonio Spurs.
Doncic, who missed the preseason with a left calf contusion, returned to practice last week and said he already notices the difference in the team’s spacing Thompson’s presence creates.
“Yeah, he’s Klay Thompson,” Doncic said. “Of course I feel a difference. He’s one of the greatest shooters ever. ... It’s so easy to play with him.”
Irving, who played a pivotal role in luring Thompson to the Mavericks, paid him the ultimate compliment on Media Day: “I feel like our dreams can be possible because he’s here now.”
Kidd, whom Thompson politely refers to as “Mr. Kidd,” pins the Mavericks’ NBA Finals loss to the Celtics on their offensive struggles. The coach said he’s delighted about the opportunity to have Thompson’s shooting to complement Doncic and Irving: “Every time he shoots the ball, it looks like it’s going in.”
It won’t be easy to emerge from a stacked Western Conference and repeat as champions, but the Mavericks hope Thompson elevates their offense as he tries to help the franchise win its first championship since 2011.
If they’re successful by the time June rolls around, Thompson will stand in a class by himself. His four titles are tied with LeBron James and former Warriors teammates Stephen Curry and Draymond Green for the most among active players. The Warriors missed the playoffs last season and the Denver Nuggets swept James’ Lakers in the first round.
The Mavericks, without Thompson, were three wins away from an NBA championship.
“Anytime you get five or more, oh my goodness, that’s something special,” Mychal Thompson said. “He feels he’s awful close to getting that fifth one as long as Dallas is healthy.”
