Career Timeline of Klay Thompson: Major Achievements and Milestones

How Klay Thompson built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Klay Thompson is a professional basketball player renowned as one of the greatest three-point shooters in NBA history. Mostly known for his time with the Golden State Warriors, where he formed the dynamic 'Splash Brothers' duo, he is a four-time NBA champion and five-time All-Star. Thompson's accolades include two All-NBA Third Team selections and an NBA All-Defensive Second Team honor. He also secured gold medals representing the United States in the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. Thompson currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2009: Thompson wins gold medal at FIBA Under-19 World Championship

In 2009, Klay Thompson won gold on the Under-19 national team at the FIBA Under-19 World Championship.

2011: Declared for NBA Draft

In 2011, Klay Thompson declared for the NBA draft after his junior season.

2011: Drafted by Golden State Warriors

In 2011, Klay Thompson was selected in the first round of the NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors as the 11th overall pick.

2011: Pac-10 Tournament Records

In the 2011 Pac-10 tournament, Klay Thompson set tournament records with 43 points and eight three-pointers.

February 2012: Improved Performance After All-Star Snub

In February 2012, after not being selected for the NBA All-Star Weekend Rising Stars Challenge, Klay Thompson improved his performance in all areas of basketball.

March 13, 2012: Ellis Traded to Bucks

On March 13, 2012, the Warriors traded Monta Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks.

March 2012: Monta Ellis Trade

In March 2012, The Golden State Warriors traded starter Monta Ellis, after drafting Klay Thompson, leading to more playing time for Thompson.

January 29, 2013: Season-High Score Against Cavaliers

On January 29, 2013, Klay Thompson scored a season-high 32 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

May 8, 2013: Playoff Career-High Against Spurs

On May 8, 2013, Klay Thompson recorded a playoff career-high 34 points and 14 rebounds against the San Antonio Spurs.

October 31, 2014: Signed Contract Extension

On October 31, 2014, Klay Thompson signed a four-year contract extension with the Warriors.

2014: NBA Record for Combined Threes

In 2014, Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry set an NBA record for 484 combined three-pointers on the season.

2014: Thompson wins gold medal at FIBA Basketball World Cup

In 2014, Klay Thompson won a gold medal as a member of the United States national team at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

2014: Won Gold Medal with US National Team

In 2014, Klay Thompson won a gold medal with the United States national team at the World Cup.

January 23, 2015: Career-High 52 Points

On January 23, 2015, Klay Thompson scored a career-high 52 points against the Sacramento Kings, including an NBA-record 37 points in the third quarter.

January 29, 2015: Named All-Star Reserve

On January 29, 2015, Klay Thompson was named a reserve for the 2015 Western Conference All-Star team for the first time in his career.

March 8, 2015: Passed Steve Kerr on All-Time List

On March 8, 2015, Klay Thompson passed Steve Kerr on the NBA's all-time list for three-pointers.

2015: Wins NBA Finals with His Father

After winning the NBA Finals in 2015, Klay Thompson and his father, Mychal Thompson, became the fourth father-son duo to win an NBA title.

2015: Won First NBA Championship

In 2015, Klay Thompson helped lead the Golden State Warriors to their first NBA championship since 1975.

December 5, 2016: Career-High 60 Points in 29 Minutes

On December 5, 2016, Klay Thompson scored a career-high 60 points in just 29 minutes against the Indiana Pacers, becoming the first player in NBA history to score 60 points in less than 30 minutes.

2016: Reached NBA Finals

In 2016, Klay Thompson and the Warriors lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals after being up 3-1 in the series. In Game 5 of the first round series against the Houston Rockets, Thompson became the first player in NBA history to make at least seven three-pointers in consecutive playoff games.

2016: Won Record 73 Games and Lost NBA Finals

In 2016, Klay Thompson helped the Warriors win a record 73 games, but the team lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

2016: Signs Deal with Anta

In 2016, Klay Thompson signed a 10-year deal with the Chinese shoe company, Anta. Thompson is one of the few players in the NBA sponsored by the company.

2016: Won Three-Point Contest

In 2016, Klay Thompson was named a Western Conference All-Star reserve and won the All-Star Weekend's Three-Point Contest.

2016: Thompson wins gold medal at the Olympics

In 2016, Klay Thompson won a gold medal as a member of the United States national team at the Olympics.

April 4, 2017: 41 Points against Timberwolves

On April 4, 2017, Klay Thompson scored 41 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves, marking his 10th career 40-point game.

October 2017: Raises Money for Northern California Wildfire Relief

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.

October 29, 2017: Thompson scores 29 points, surpassing 9,000 career points

On October 29, 2017, Klay Thompson scored 29 points in a 115–107 loss to the Detroit Pistons, marking him as the eleventh player in franchise history to surpass 9,000 career points.

December 20, 2017: Thompson scores 27 first-half points against Grizzlies

On December 20, 2017, Klay Thompson scored 27 of his 29 points in the first half and made his first nine field goals in a 97–84 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

December 27, 2017: Thompson ties record for consecutive games with a three-pointer

On December 27, 2017, in a 126–101 win over the Utah Jazz, Thompson hit three three-pointers, tying him for third with Dana Barros at 89 consecutive games with a three-pointer.

2017: Won NBA Championship

In 2017, Klay Thompson and the Warriors won another NBA title, avenging their 2016 finals loss.

January 17, 2018: Thompson scores 38 points in victory over Bulls

On January 17, 2018, Klay Thompson scored 38 points in a 119–112 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

February 22, 2018: Thompson reaches 10,000 career points

On February 22, 2018, in a 134–127 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, Thompson moved past Joe Barry Carroll's 9,996 points to earn tenth place on the franchise's career scoring list, also becoming the tenth Warrior to reach 10,000 regular season career points.

March 31, 2018: Thompson returns from injury to score 25 points against Kings

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 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

April 5, 2018: Thompson moves past Tim Hardaway on career 3-pointers list

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 for 25th on the league's career list.

October 29, 2018: Thompson sets NBA record with 14 three-pointers

On October 29, 2018, against the Chicago Bulls, Klay Thompson hit an NBA-record 14 threes to break Stephen Curry's former mark of 13. He scored 52 points in 27 minutes, with 10 three-pointers in the first half tying Chandler Parsons' league record and the Golden State Warriors setting an NBA record for 17 threes in a half.

2018: Won NBA Championship

In 2018, Klay Thompson and the Warriors won another NBA title.

July 1, 2019: Thompson agrees to five-year contract with Warriors

On July 1, 2019, Klay Thompson agreed to stay with the Warriors on a five-year, $190 million maximum contract.

2019: Reached NBA Finals and Suffered Torn ACL

In 2019, Klay Thompson helped the Warriors reach their fifth straight NBA Finals, where he suffered a torn ACL late in the series.

2019: Thompson named to NBA All-Defensive Team

In 2019, Klay Thompson was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, marking the first time he received this honor.

November 28, 2021: Thompson assigned to Santa Cruz Warriors for rehab

On November 28, 2021, Klay Thompson was assigned to the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State's NBA G League affiliate, alongside James Wiseman for rehab purposes.

2021: Return from Injury

After missing over two and a half years of play due to injury, Thompson returned in the middle of the 2021-2022 season.

January 8, 2022: Thompson announces his return to the court

On January 8, 2022, Klay Thompson announced that he would make his return to the court on January 9 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

2022: Father-Son Duo Win NBA Title

In 2022, Gary Payton and Gary Payton II became the newest father and son to win the NBA title. Gary Payton II was Klay Thompson's teammate.

2022: Won Fourth NBA Title

In 2022, Klay Thompson won his fourth NBA title with the Warriors.

2022: Thompson scores season-high points

In 2022, Thompson scored a then season-high 41 points. Thompson, Stephen Curry, and Andrew Wiggins combined for 23 made three-pointers.

2022: Thompson advances to NBA Finals

In 2022, during Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs, Thompson surpassed Ray Allen for third on the NBA playoffs all-time three-pointers list. Thompson advanced to his sixth NBA Finals after a victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.

January 2, 2023: Thompson scores season-high 54 points against Hawks

On January 2, 2023, Klay Thompson scored a season-high 54 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a 143–141 double overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

October 29, 2023: Thompson surpasses Jamal Crawford on all-time three-pointers list

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.

February 15, 2024: Thompson comes off the bench for the first time since March 11, 2012

On February 15, 2024, Klay Thompson came off the bench for the first time since March 11, 2012. He then proceeded to score a season-high 35 points while surpassing 15,000 points in his career.

July 6, 2024: Thompson Traded to Mavericks

On July 6, 2024, after 13 years with the Warriors, Klay Thompson was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in a six-team sign and trade.

March 29, 2025: Thompson records 200th three-pointer of the season

On March 29, 2025, Thompson recorded his 200th three-pointer of the season, joining Stephen Curry as the only players in NBA history with at least 10 seasons of at least 200 three-pointers made.