In today’s NBA, everyone is familiar with Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson. But did you know that his father played for the league as well? Here’s everything you need to know about Klay’s father, Mychal Thompson.
What was Mychal Thompson’s NBA career like?
Mychal George Thompson was the first overall pick drafted by the Portland Trailblazers in the 1978 NBA Draft. He spent a total of seven seasons with the team that drafted him. During that time, it’s safe to say that he was playing the best basketball of his career. Thompson averaged 16.7 points, 3.4 assists, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks.
His most notable season with the Trailblazers was back in the 1981-82 season when he finished with a double-double average. Thompson had 20.8 points and 11.7 rebounds per game that year. After this accomplishment, we never saw him replicate the same numbers in the following seasons. Although Thompson was still putting up decent numbers, the figures were slowly declining.
After his stint with the Portland Trailblazers, Mychal Thompson signed with the San Antonio Spurs in the 1986-87 season. He would only spend half the season with the team before being traded to the LA Lakers. Thompson averaged 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 49 games with the Spurs. After that, he was bound for LA, which changed the course of his career.
Mychal Thompson became a part of the historic “Showtime” LA Lakers back in the 1980s. During his time with the purple and gold, he won two championships alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. Despite being a shell of his former self, Thompson effectively played his role as the Lakers’ big man.
He would spend 5 seasons with the Lakers before officially retiring from the NBA in 1991. Despite all the accolades he accomplished with the organization, the Lakers never retired Thompson’s jersey number. It’s also a sad fact that he was never inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Thompson’s career may have declined in the latter, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t talented.
Following his career, Thompson and his family returned to Portland in 1991. He was employed by a nearby sports radio station. In 2003, after receiving a job offer as a color analyst for the Lakers, he and his family moved back to Los Angeles. At the moment, Mychal works as the Lakers’ radio color analyst. Prior to teaming with John Ireland, he first collaborated with Joel Meyers, then Spero Dedes.
Since 2011, he has co-hosted ESPNLA NOW, which airs weekdays from 10 am to noon on KSPN AM 710. On August 29, 2014, the station fired his colleague Mark Willard. Since then, Thompson has been partnering with Mike Trudell.
Now that he’s a retired NBA legend, it’s time for the new generation to take over for him. His son Klay Thompson is without a doubt one of the Golden State Warriors’ all-time greats. He has won four championships and might even win more in the years to come. Hopefully, Klay can achieve what his father couldn’t and that’s to get inducted into the hall of fame and get his jersey number retired.
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