After growing up in Oregon for most of his childhood, Klay Thompson ended up in California for high school, as he went to Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita. In his senior year, Thompson led his team to the Division III state finals, where he set the record for the most threes made in a state title game. Thompson was ranked virtually unanimously as a four-star recruit, which helped him get to the Pac-10 with Washington State.

Klay Thompson decided to play his college basketball at Washington State University, under Tony Bennett, who has since led Virginia to a national championship. Thompson was able to play right away at Washington State, starting in all 33 of the team’s games in his first season. He made the Pac-10 all-freshman team as a result.

Thompson was named to the all-Pac-10 first team in his sophomore and junior seasons, as he scored 19.6 and 21.6 points per game in his final two seasons with the Cougars. In his junior year, Thompson set the single-season record for points by one player in a year at Washington State. And though he decided to go into the NBA Draft at the conclusion of his junior season, Washington State elected to retire his number one, making him one of just two men’s basketball players to have their numbers retired at Washington State.

The Golden State Warriors selected Thompson with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Being paired with another NBA player with prolific shooting abilities in teammate Stephen Curry, the Warriors dubbed the pairing the Splash Brothers. The two clicked right away, helping the Warriors to dramatically improve in short order. In his rookie year, Thompson made over 40% of his three-point shots, earning All-NBA rookie first-team honors in a season highlighted by a 27-point performance against the New Orleans Hornets.

Once the Warriors brought in new head coach Steve Kerr, the Splash Brothers were able to take things to another level. The team won its first NBA championship with this unit under Kerr in 2015, with Thompson, Curry and Draymond Green combining to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. After adding Kevin Durant in 2016, the Warriors won the NBA Finals in 2017 and 2018 as well, with Thompson’s rock-solid shooting helping the team overcome any deficit. Thompson earned All-NBA third-team honors in all three NBA title-winning seasons.

Thompson’s accomplishments stretch far beyond what he and the Warriors have done in the playoffs. He has been named to five NBA All-Star Game appearances, scoring over 12 points per game in All-Star action in his career. Thompson has also represented the United States on the national team on multiple occasions, winning the gold medal in the 2016 Olympics and the 2014 FIBA World Cup.