All About Klay Thompson's Brothers, Trayce and Mychel Thompson
Both of Klay Thompson's brothers are professional athletes
Klay Thompson’s family is no stranger to the world of professional sports.
The basketball player, known as Stephen Curry's right-hand man on the Golden State Warriors, grew up in a home filled with athletes. His father, Mychal Thompson, is an NBA champion himself, having played with the Los Angeles Lakers through the ‘80s and ‘90s. His mother, Julie Thompson, played volleyball and competed in track and field in college.
It's no surprise that the couple's three children, Klay, Trayce and Mychel, have found success in professional sports — Klay and Mychel in basketball, and Trayce in baseball.
"Within our family, it was like any other family," Trayce once told Bleacher Report. "I never viewed my father as just an athlete. My brothers were my brothers."
However, the competition between the three boys was different from most other families. When they were young, Trayce beat Mychel in a driveway basketball game. "He said he was going to run away," Trayce said. "It was funny."
The Thompson family is very close and have even started a charity foundation together.
Here is everything to know about Klay Thompson's two brothers, Mychel and Trayce.
Klay is the middle child
Mychel is the oldest of the Thompson boys and was the first to start a professional career in sports. He attended Pepperdine University, where he produced impressive stats. When he wrapped up his time on the basketball team, he went down as #14 on the school's all-time scoring record. He was also the Waves' 36th 1,000-point scorer during his senior season.
With such a strong scoring record, it was believed he would be a shoo-in for the NBA draft, though he went undrafted. After trying out with a few different teams, he landed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Trayce is the youngest of the family. He was born in 1991, just one year after Klay. He and his siblings mainly grew up in Los Angeles during their dad's time with the Lakers.
Mychel played basketball within the Golden State Warriors organization
Mychel spent the majority of his career in the G-League, the level below the NBA. He would eventually make his way to the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State's G-league team. He won a championship with the team during the 2014-2015 season.
His career with the Santa Cruz Warriors expanded in 2022 when he was promoted to the team's video coordinator.
Mychel plays for the Bahamas national team
Mychel still takes to the basketball court. His father, Mychal, was born in the Bahamas, so he qualifies to play on the Bahamas national basketball team.
He is passionate about playing for his father's home country's team, and has said that he is determined to win a championship in the jersey.
“We’re going to play hard, try and put on for the Bahamas,” Mychel told FIBA Basketball in 2022. “We just want to represent and play as hard as we can when we put that jersey on.”
Trayce plays professional baseball
While basketball is in the blood of the Thompson boys, Trayce shined in baseball. He played in high school and began his career in 2009, playing for Advanced Rookie Bristol and Advanced Rookie Great Falls. Eventually, he would be scouted by the Chicago White Sox and then acquired by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015.
That same year, a rumor swirled that Trayce had been signed by the Oakland A's, who, at the time, played at the Coliseum, just a stone's throw from the Warriors' home court at Oracle Arena.
“Communicating with Klay on the phone is sometimes like pulling teeth. But that day, he sent 20 texts to me before I could respond. He was so excited," Trayce once told a reporter.
When a reporter at GQ Sports read that quote back to him, Trayce said with a smile, “He’s absolutely terrible with his phone. It's nothing new. It's not because of who he is in the world now. He’s been this way since he was a teenager."
The brothers have been close since they were children
When the boys were younger, Mychal got traded from the Portland Trailblazers to the Los Angeles Lakers, and the move made them bond even more.
"We weren't in school yet, so it was hard to make friends,” Klay told GQ Sports.
He added the the group found solace at the elementary school field behind their new home, stating, "We would be there all day, man, playing catch or shooting hoops. Those were the best memories of my life.”
Trayce has claimed that Mychel was a good kid, but he and Klay were a bit on the wild side. "Trayce was a happy-go-lucky kid, and the only naughty thing Klay would do was sneak off into the garage and make firecrackers," he said.
The Thompson family started a charity together
The Thompson family started a charity together in 2017, the Thompson Family Foundation, which provides support to children of all backgrounds. According to their website, they aim to "enrich the lives of youth in the United States and the Bahamas through fitness and education."
In 2022, inspired by Klay's nearly career-ending injury (a ruptured ligament and torn ACL), they created the 941 Project, which helps "re-entry to the workplace for individuals from disadvantaged situations."
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