Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry are two of the most crucial performers for the Golden State Warriors as they take on Cleveland in the closing of the NBA betting season, but their families have known each other far longer. They first encountered each other in 1986, when the San Antonio Spurs came into town to play the Utah Jazz. The Utah bench featured a 6’5” rookie with a reputation as a quick shooter – Dell Curry. However, at the time Curry was the fourth guard, behind Bobby Hansen, Ricky Green, and a young John Stockton. Guarding Curry was Mychal Thompson.
Thompson knew that if Curry got any open space he would be jacking up his deadly jump shot, and so Thompson made it his mission to stop the second team, which Curry would be piloting. However, Curry won that battle, scoring 17 points in 17 minutes, going 7 for 12 and knocking down a three pointer. Thompson came away from the game swearing that Curry could catch the ball and shoot it without even having to look at the basket. Thompson, though, countered with 15 points of his own in 22 minutes, going 7 for 14 and nailing the only three-pointer of his 13 years in the NBA.
Dell Curry and Mychal Thompson’s Legacy in NBA Betting
The Jazz ended up winning the game by eight, but that wasn’t the biggest takeaway. A couple of months into his first season, Curry had shown that he could come off the bench and serve as a microwave, a skill that made him popular for 16 seasons. Thompson proved that he could handle work on both ends, which is why he would last 13 seasons.
If you fast forward to today, you see that Stephen Curry is Dell’s eldest son, while Klay is Mychal’s middle child. They have formed the “Splash Brothers” out of a combination of fate and genetics. Because of their families, they both knew how tough it would be to make it in this league. Curry’s Uncle Muggsy (Bogues) and Thompson’s Uncle Kobe (Bryant) gave them a look at what league life is like. Maybe it’s been a lifetime of hearing playoff stories that keeps them from showing any signs of nervousness on this big stage.
Stephen was born in March 1988, not long after the Jazz had shipped Dell to Cleveland. Curry would beg his dad to take him to shootarounds or practice. Dell finally got approval when his coach with the Charlotte Hornets, Allan Bristow, if his son could come, and the coach approved. He was already letting people bring their dogs, so why not?
Curry would sit and wait with a basketball until a team water break, and then he’d run out onto the floor throwing up shots. Then it was home games (his mother would only let him go if it wasn’t a school night). Curry saw his dad win the Sixth Man of the Year award in 1993-94 and, one season, knocked down 47.6 percent of his three-pointers.
Mychal Thompson also had a pioneering career of course, as one of the first big men who could move and defend anybody else out on the court. He was also known for some freewheeling ways off the floor, watching soap operas and wandering around his team hotel without a shirt. His sons were too young to remember him playing, but they still got those celebrity relationships, hanging out with Clyde Drexler’s kids. Thompson became a broadcaster, but he taught his son the importance of a jump shot. Klay took this to heart, which is why his fadeaway is so deadly.
Win or lose, these two Warriors have a dynamite pedigree that should motivate them to stay in the playoffs for a long time to come.
Sources:
ESPN.com: http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2015/story/_/id/12819951/splash-fathers-dell-curry-mychal-thompson
Basketball-reference.com: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHO/2015.html
