Ranking the top five biggest buckets of Klay Thompson's career
Just as there are six championship banners raised in Chase Center, there is an equal set of retired numbers alongside them. With the latest NBA dynasty coming by way of the Golden State Warriors, there are numerous individual players that have contributed to its fruition. It’s only right to honor those players by retiring their jersey numbers, and make no mistake that one day Klay Thompson’s number “11” will be hoisted in the rafters.
Klay is a three-time NBA champion, a three-point contest champion, NBA all-star, elite two-way player, and a national treasure off the court. He’s a core component of Golden State’s dynasty, and along the way he’s hit big time shots that have become synonymous in Warriors lore. Clutch shots come natural to one of the greatest shooters this league has ever seen.
His highlight reel of shots could go on forever, and to the best of our ability we’re spotlighting five of the biggest buckets (so far) of Klay Thompson’s career.
#5) Klay sends Houston packing…again
Game 6, 2019 Western Conference semifinals, on the road in Houston and no Kevin Durant. After a hopeful Rockets team was confident they were sending the series back to Oakland for a Game 7, Golden State found itself up 107-104 with less than a minute remaining. What we witness is basketball in its absolute purest form.
Steph passes out of a double team to Draymond Green, who drives to the basket only to kick it out to Andre Iguodala. Iguodala naturally passes it to Klay Thompson, who ends up sinking the three with two Rockets defenders in his face. With a big offseason payday coming his way, Klay can only smile and point to Joe Lacob on the side, knowing they’ve effectively shut down the door on Houston’s season…again.
#4) The 37 point quarter
Klay racked up 52 points back in January 2015 at Oracle Arena, sealing the deal with a 126-101 win over the Sacramento Kings. The win would be Golden State’s 18th straight victory at home, and yet all of those statistical accolades were secondary to one number: “37.” In the third quarter alone, Klay set a new record with 37 points scored in one quarter while failing to miss a single shot!
Nothing compares to that final three Klay made at the top of the key, setting Oracle Arena absolutely berserk with his fellow Warrior teammates in complete awe on the sideline. A transcendent performance all around, the gameplay was simple in that third quarter: get Klay the ball and get out of the way.
#3) 60 points, only 11 dribbles
Many of the NBA’s greats have hit the 50+ scoring mark. A handful have been able to do so as a lethal threat from beyond the arc. And then there’s Klay Thompson, who managed to score 60 points…while taking only 11 dribbles. When Klay is on one, it’s a wrap for the opposing team.
A perfect embodiment of how dominant the Warriors were had to be when Klay knocked down the triple for his 57th point. Everyone including Steph, Durant, Draymond, Iguodala, and more were absolutely hyped for Klay’s barrage of scoring. To see Klay go berserk, and his all-star teammates loving every second of it? How could any team possibly stand a chance against this behemoth?
#2) The free throws at Oracle: Game 6, 2019 NBA Finals
A bittersweet moment to put it at best, but by all means, it's one of the sights that will resonate with so many Warriors fans. After landing awkwardly by way of Danny Green in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, it looked like Thompson was done for the night (and series), making his way to the locker room.
Instead, on what we would later learn to be a torn ACL, Klay walks back to the court and checks himself in to sink both his free throws, knowing it's the only way to assure he can remain available for the rest of the game. It’s not the most joyful moment to remember, but it's arguably one of the biggest shots that will be remembered by Klay Thompson in a Warriors jersey, and in Oracle Arena’s final night no less.
#1) The birth of Game 6 Klay: 2016 WCF versus OKC
A historic season that looked to be on the brink of elimination, Golden State traveled to Oklahoma City down 3-2 to the Thunder. With a raucous crowd behind them, the odds looked dangerously in favor of OKC. But “Game 6 Klay,” as he would soon come to be known, was not going to let that happen.
As is well known now, when Klay is on one, no matter the circumstance, it's a wrap for the opposing team. OKC threw everything they had but the Warriors and Klay Thompson withstood every punch and sealed their ticket for a Game 7 back in Oakland. Tied 101-101 with under two minutes left in the fourth, Iguodala stripped Russell Westbrook in the paint, immediately finding Klay past half court. Thompson didn’t even hesitate, immediately pulling up from three and sinking the basket, giving Golden State the 104-101 lead.
In that moment, from the stoic expression of the Thunder players and crowd, in contrast to the hype from the Warriors bench, Game 6 Klay had effectively turned the tide in their favor in what would eventually become a 3-1 comeback series victory for Golden State.