Thompson opened the first six games of the 2016–17 season shooting 11-of-53 from 3-point range (20.75 percent). In the last 11 games of November, Thompson then went a combined 39-of-84 from 3-point range (46.4 percent). On December 5, 2016, he scored 60 points (shooting 21-of-33 and 8-of-14 on three-pointers) in 29 minutes over just three quarters in a 142–106 win over the Indiana Pacers, becoming the first player in NBA history to score 60 points in less than 30 minutes of action. Thompson had an NBA season-high and career-best performance for the highest-scoring output by a Golden State player in more than 42 years. His 40 first-half points tied him for second-most scored in a half over the past decade. In addition, Thompson became the first Warrior to score 60 points since Hall of Famer Rick Barry's 64 on March 26, 1974, joining Barry and Naismith honorees Wilt Chamberlain and Joe Fulks as the only Warriors players to do so. On January 26, he was named a Western Conference All-Star reserve for the 2017 NBA All-Star Game. He participated in the Three-Point Contest, but he failed to defend his title as he was eliminated in the first round. On April 4, 2017, he scored 41 points (his 10th career 40-point game) in a 121–107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Warriors finished the season as the first seed in the West with a 67–15 record.
Klay Alexander Thompson (born February 8, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest three-point shooters of all-time, he is a four-time NBA champion, a five-time NBA All-Star, a two-time All-NBA Third Team honoree, and was once named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. He has also won gold medals with the United States national team on their 2014 World Cup team and 2016 Olympic team.
When Thompson was 14, his family moved to Ladera Ranch, California, where he graduated from Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita in 2008. 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. During the state championship, Thompson set a state finals record with seven 3-pointers in a game. 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.
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 then-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. The Warriors traded Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks on March 13, 2012. The following game, Thompson scored a season-high 26 points in a loss to the Boston Celtics. A week later, he exceeded his previous high with 27 points in a win over the New Orleans Hornets. As of mid-February 2012, Thompson played around 17 minutes per game, but he played an average 30 minutes per game during the next month. At the end of the season, Thompson was voted to the NBA NBA All-Rookie First Team.
Thompson declared for the 2011 NBA draft after his junior season, being selected 11th overall by the Golden State Warriors. This pick of a guard prompted speculation that the Warriors would trade starter Monta Ellis, but that did not occur until March 2012. 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.
On February 15, 2024, Thompson came off the bench for the first time since March 11, 2012. Thompson then proceeded to score a season-high 35 points while surpassing 15,000 points in his career. On April 2, in a 104–100 win over the Dallas Mavericks, Thompson surpassed Kyle Korver for sixth on the all-time career three-pointers list. In the win-or-go-home play-in game against the Sacramento Kings, Thompson scored 0 points and missed all of his 10 shots from the field in a 118–94 loss.
On January 29, 2013, Thompson scored a season-high 32 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Warriors coach Mark Jackson said that Thompson and Stephen Curry formed the best shooting duo in NBA history. That season, the two combined made 483 three-pointers, the most ever by an NBA duo at the time. The Warriors defeated the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs and were next 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 went on to lose to the Spurs in six games.
Over the first seven games of 2018–19, Thompson shot 5 for 36 from behind the arc and failed to have a 20-point game. He did not make multiple three-pointers in any of the contests, a career-worst seven-game drought for him. On October 29, 2018, against the Chicago Bulls, he hit an NBA-record 14 threes to break Curry's former mark of 13. Thompson scored 52 points in 27 minutes while making 14-for-24 of his threes and shooting 18-for-29 overall from the field. His 10 three-pointers in the first half tied Chandler Parsons' league record set in 2014, and Golden State made 17 threes in the first half to set the NBA record for a half. On November 24, he scored 31 points with five 3-pointers in a 117–116 win over the Sacramento Kings. Thompson moved into 21st place on the NBA's career 3-pointers list when he hit his 1,609th in the first quarter, moving past Jason Richardson. On December 29, he had his second-highest scoring game of the season with 32 points in a 115–105 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. He shot his way out of a slump by hitting 12 of 21 from the field and 4 of 5 from 3-point range. On January 8, he scored 43 points with seven 3-pointers in a 122–95 win over the New York Knicks. On January 21, he tied an NBA record by making his first 10 attempts from 3-point range on his way to scoring 44 points in a 130–111 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. He finished 10 of 11 from beyond the arc and 17 of 20 from the floor overall. On March 8, he scored 39 points and made nine 3-pointers in a 122–105 win over the Denver Nuggets. On March 13, he scored 30 points in a 106–104 win over the Houston Rockets. He made five 3-pointers to give him 203 for the season, joining Curry as the only players in NBA history to have seven straight seasons with 200 3-pointers. Praised for his defense throughout his career, Thompson was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team for the first time, earning second team honors. For Game 3 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, Thompson missed his first career playoff game after straining his left hamstring late in Game 2. He returned in Game 4 and scored 28 points with six 3-pointers in a 105–92 loss, as the Warriors went down 3–1 in the series. In Game 5, he helped the Warriors stave off elimination with 26 points in a 106–105 win, thus cutting the Raptors' series lead to 3–2. However, in Game 6, Thompson suffered a torn ACL in his left knee and departed with 30 points midway through the third quarter, as the Warriors went on to lose the game and the series with a 114–110 defeat. He finished the playoffs in third for career postseason 3-pointers (374), trailing only Curry (470) and Ray Allen (385).
The son of former NBA player Mychal Thompson, Klay played college basketball for three seasons with the Washington State Cougars, where he was a two-time first-team all-conference selection in the Pac-10 (now Pac-12). He was selected in the first round of the 2011 NBA draft by Golden State with the 11th overall pick. In 2014, Thompson and teammate Stephen Curry set a then-NBA record with 484 combined three-pointers in a season (a record they broke the following season with 525 and again in the 2015–16 season with 678), earning the pair the nickname of "the Splash Brothers." In 2015, he helped lead the Warriors to their first NBA championship since 1975. The following season, he helped his team win a record 73 wins. The team advanced to the NBA Finals that season, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Thompson and his team gained revenged from the Cavaliers, winning two more titles in 2017 and 2018. He also helped the Warriors reach their fifth straight Finals in 2019, where he suffered an ACL tear late in the series. After missing over two and a half years of play, he returned in the middle of the 2021–22 season, where he won his fourth title in 2022.
On October 31, 2014, Thompson signed a four-year contract extension with the Warriors. The next day, he scored a then career-high 41 points in the Warriors' 127-104 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. 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. On January 29, 2015, Thompson was named a reserve for the 2015 Western Conference All-Star team for the first time in his career.
Thompson's older brother, Mychel, played basketball for Pepperdine University and had a brief stint in the NBA with the Cavaliers, while his younger brother, Trayce, became 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. After winning the NBA championship in 2015, Thompson and his father became the fourth father-son duo to win an NBA title, joining Matt Guokas Sr. and Jr., Rick and Brent Barry, and Bill and Luke Walton. (They were joined in 2022 by the newest father and son to win the title, Gary Payton and Gary Payton II, the latter of whom was Klay's teammate. )
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. On March 17, he was ruled out for 7–10 days with a sprained ankle. That season, Curry broke his own record for three-pointers (286), and Thompson again finished second in the league (239) as the two combined to make 525 threes, surpassing their previous record by 41. 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. 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.
Standing at 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) tall in shoes and weighing 220 pounds (100 kg), Thompson plays exclusively at the shooting guard position and has career averages of 19.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. Thompson is both a prolific and efficient shooter, particularly from range, as well as an elite free-throw shooter. His shooting form has been described as "textbook" and "picture-perfect". Though he is capable of handling the ball in the Warriors offense, Thompson is primarily a catch-and-shoot player, taking advantage of back-cuts and screens set by teammates to make space for his exceptionally accurate quick-release shot. Although Thompson is not known for blocking shots or creating steals, he is considered a strong defender thanks to his size at the guard position and ability to defend against both elite guards and wings. He is also praised for his stamina. Thompson is also known for his quiet, laid-back personality, rarely showing emotion in or out of games. He is one of the few players in the NBA sponsored by Chinese shoe company Anta, signing a 10-year deal with it in 2016. Thompson is regarded as a clutch scorer, particularly in game 6s of playoff series, where his shooting splits rise up significantly compared to his usual playoff statistics, which earned him the nickname "Game 6 Klay".
On July 1, 2019, Thompson agreed to stay with the Warriors on a five-year, $190 million maximum contract with an additional fifteen-percent trade kicker as a result of not making an All-NBA Team, which could have made him eligible for a supermax deal like Curry was in 2017. The next day, on July 2, Thompson underwent successful knee surgery on his torn ACL, and missed the entire 2019–20 season as a result. Thompson officially re-signed with the Warriors on July 10. He returned to practice with the Warriors in September 2020. On November 19, it was announced that Thompson would again miss the entire 2020–21 season due to an Achilles tendon injury, which he suffered in a pickup game in Los Angeles.
In late October 2017, Thompson participated in local efforts to raise money for relief for the October 2017 Northern California wildfires, donating $1,000 for every point he scored in home games against the Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, and Detroit Pistons. With additional sponsor and fan matching Thompson was able to increase that to $5,223 per point, ultimately raising $360,374 by tallying 69 points across the three games.
On October 29, 2017, Thompson scored 29 points in a 115–107 loss to the Detroit Pistons, becoming the 11th player in franchise history to eclipse 9,000 career points. On December 20, 2017, he scored 27 of his 29 points in the first half and made his first nine field goals in a 97–84 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. On December 27, 2017, in a 126–101 win over the Utah Jazz, Thompson hit three 3-pointers, moving him into a tie for third with Dana Barros at 89 consecutive games with a 3-pointer. On January 17, 2018, he scored 38 points in a 119–112 win over the Chicago Bulls. In a 134–127 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on February 22, 2018, Thompson moved past Joe Barry Carroll's 9,996 points to earn 10th place on the franchise's career scoring list, also becoming the 10th Warrior to reach 10,000 regular season career points. Two days later, in a 112–80 win over the Thunder, Thompson passed Neil Johnston (10,023) for ninth place on the franchise's career scoring list. On March 31, 2018, following an eight-game absence with a broken right thumb, Thompson scored 25 points on 10-for-19 shooting in a 112–96 win over the Sacramento Kings. On April 5, 2018, in a 126–106 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Thompson was 4 of 9 on 3-pointers to move past Tim Hardaway (1,542) for 25th on the league's career list. Three days later, he scored 22 of his 34 points in the first quarter of the Warriors' 117–100 win over the Phoenix Suns. Thompson helped the Warriors defeat the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs in five games, as he scored 24 points in a 99–91 win in Game 5. As a result, Thompson joined Rick Barry (699) and Curry (652) as Warriors players with 600 postseason field goals. In Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against the Houston Rockets, Thompson moved past Barry (1,776) for second place on the Warriors' career postseason scoring list. In Game 6, Thompson knocked down nine 3-pointers on his way to 35 points, as the Warriors rallied from an early 17-point deficit to stave off elimination with a 115–86 victory over the Rockets. In Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Thompson played in his franchise-record 100th postseason game. He also became the sixth player to ever make 300 3s in the postseason, joining Curry as Warriors to reach the feat. He scored 20 points in the game to help the Warriors take a 2–0 lead with a 122–103 win over the Cavaliers. The Warriors went on to sweep the series to claim back-to-back titles.
On January 18, 2020, Washington State retired the No. 1 that Thompson wore in college. He became the second WSU men's basketball player to receive this honor, joining Steve Puidokas, and the seventh WSU athlete in any sport whose number has been retired.
On November 28, 2021, Thompson was assigned to the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State's NBA G League affiliate, alongside James Wiseman for rehab purposes. He was recalled on December 1. Thompson and Wiseman were yet again assigned to Santa Cruz on December 11.
On January 8, 2022, Thompson announced he would make his return to the court on January 9 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his return, Thompson scored 17 points on 7-from-18 shooting in 20 minutes, as the Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 96–82. On February 12, Thompson scored 16 of his then season-high 33 points in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers in a 117–115 comeback win. On March 12, Thompson scored a then season-high 38 points along with six rebounds and five assists in a 122–109 win over the reigning champions Milwaukee Bucks. On April 10, in the final game of the regular season Thompson scored a season-high 41 points for the Warriors in a 128–107 win over the New Orleans Pelicans to clinch the third seed in the Western Conference.
On January 2, 2023, Thompson scored a season-high 54 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in a 143–141 double overtime win over the Atlanta Hawks. On February 6, Thompson scored 42 points with a season-high 12 three-pointers in a 141–114 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. On February 24, Thompson scored 42 points and tied his season-high with 12 three-pointers in a 116–101 win over the Houston Rockets. He became the only player in NBA history to record multiple games with 12 or more 3-pointers in a season. He also has the most games in NBA History with 12 or more threes (3), surpassing fellow teammate Stephen Curry who has done it twice in his career. On April 9, in the final game of the 2022–23 season, Thompson made his 300th three-pointer in a 157–101 blowout win against the Portland Trail Blazers. He joined Stephen Curry and James Harden as the only players in NBA history to make at least 300 three-pointers in a season.
On October 29, 2023, Thompson put up 19 points on five three-pointers made in a 106–95 victory against the Houston Rockets and surpassed Jamal Crawford for tenth on the all-time career three-pointers list. On November 1, Thompson put up 14 points alongside a game-winning jumpshot in a 102–101 win over the Sacramento Kings. During a game on November 14, against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Thompson was involved in an altercation on the court with Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, beginning a team brawl between the two teams. Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert attempted to pull Thompson away from McDaniels when Draymond Green put Gobert into a chokehold. The brawl resulted in Thompson, Green and McDaniels all getting ejected. The next day, Thompson along with Green and McDaniels were fined $25,000 for the incident. On December 16, Thompson scored 24 points on four three-pointers made in a 124–120 victory over the Brooklyn Nets and surpassed Jason Terry for ninth on the all-time career three-pointers list. On December 19, in a game against the Boston Celtics, Thompson surpassed Vince Carter for eighth on the all-time career three-pointers list.