Three NBA greats Klay’s dad compares him to, including Kobe

Warriors

Three NBA greats Klay’s dad compares him to, including Kobe

Klay Thompson is one of the most unique players the NBA has seen in recent times.

And while he’s certainly his own person, his father sees similarities between his son’s play and three other NBA greats.

“He reminds me of three guys,” Mychal Thompson said on Warriors Live: Finals Edition ahead of Game 1 on Thursday. “One of them he doesn’t play like, but the other two, he kind of plays similarly like Reggie Miller and Ray Allen.”

Comparing Thompson to two of the greatest shooters of all-time sounds about right. 

We’ve seen him drop 60 points on 11 dribbles in 29 minutes, set an NBA record for most 3-pointers made in a quarter (14) and continue the record-setting when he broke the NBA record for most points in a quarter when he scored an unbelievable 37 points in one quarter.  

But Thompson reminds his dad of another basketball legend, though in much different ways. 

“He’s got the mentality of Kobe Bryant,” Mychal Thompson said. “Being a Laker, and being around the Lakers when Kobe was a young player, and working for the Lakers from 2003, Klay grew up around Kobe Bryant. 

“When he was in high school, he’d go work out, he was working out with Kobe Bryant. You know what an advantage that is to be able to work out with Chris Mullin or Kobe Bryant? He doesn’t have to listen to me. I’d say, ‘Just go talk to Klay for us, guys’ and Kobe would sit down with him and talk about the mental part of the game, the mental toughness, and that’s a roll-off on Klay. He’s really taken Kobe’s advice to heart.” 

The late Bryant is remembered as not just one of the greatest to play the game, but also for his mentality and hunger that allowed him to get there. 

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Thompson, who missed more than two years of basketball while recovering from two major injuries, has openly spoken about living through his idol’s words as he made his return to the court on Jan. 9. 

He is now in the NBA Finals for the sixth time in eight years, competing for his fourth ring in that time span. But just like what Thompson said when he referenced Bryant at the end of this regular season: The job’s not finished.