Any NBA fan can tell you when you think about the Golden State Warriors, they think of Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and the man we’re about to profile, Klay Thompson.
Thompson, 28, is an American shooting guard for the Warriors and one of the most recognized players in the sport. He is a two-time NBA champion, four-time NBA All-Star, and a three-time winner with Team USA. The shooting guard’s stock has risen dramatically since he was drafted 11th overall in the 2011 draft.
But the question remains, just how much is Klay Thompson worth right now?
Klay Thompson’s Net Worth As Of 2018: $21.9 Million
Thompson has been awarded over $16.9 million in salary for Golden State in the present day. He signed a four-year, $68 million dollar contract in 2015. His endorsements award him five million dollars, and they include, BodyArmor, Panini, Anta, Electronic Arts, and Gillette. For the 2017-18 season, Thompson’s salary is a whopping $17.8 million. In 2018-19, he will have made $18.9 million on the court.
Early Life
Klay Thompson was born to Julie and Mychal Thompson on February 8, 1990, in Los Angeles, California. His mother was a volleyball player, while his father was a former first overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft.
When he was just two, Thompson and his family moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon. It was in Lake Oswego, he befriended another fellow NBA star, Kevin Love.
12 years later, at age 14, Klay and his family moved back to California, settling in Ladera Ranch. Spending his teen years in Ladera Ranch, Thompson graduated from Santa Margarita Catholic High School in 2008.
At Santa Margarita, Thompson was named All-Area second team and Orange County third team in his junior year. As a senior, he led his team in points per game and helped bring them to a Division II State Championship appearance.
Following his record performance in the state finals, Thompson received honors as Division III State player of the year, League MVP, First team Best in the West, and EA Sports Second Team All American.
Washington State
After finishing high school, Thompson took his talents to Washington State University. In his freshman season, he started in all 33 games for the Cougars. Thompson garnered Pac-10 All-Freshman Team honors for his campaign.
In his second season, the sharpshooter led the Cougars to the Great Alaska Shootout Championship. Thompson’s season would also include him becoming the third fastest player in Washington State to reach 1,000 points, All-Pac-10 First Team, and the John R. Wooden Award. His averaging of 19.6 points, was second best in the Pac 10.
As a Junior, Thompson earned his second straight All-Pac-10 First Team honors and led the conference in scoring. He was also recognized with first-team all-district from the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Thompson would skip his senior season and declare for the NBA Draft. Overall, he ended his college career averaging 17.9 points per game, at the top of WaSu’s single-season scoring record list with 733 points, and third all-time in scoring at State.
The WaSu stud also helped win Team USA win gold at the 2009 FIBA Under-19 World Championship.
Golden State
The Warriors selected Thompson 11th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft. It was revealed some time ago, that Warriors g.m. Larry Riley was in favor of Thompson’s shooting ability and could improve his defense under then head coach, Mark Jackson.
His rookie season in Golden State, Thompson averaged 12.5 points a game, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. Those numbers got him voted as a member of the NBA All-Rookie First Team. As a sophomore, Thompson’s game continued to improve and he and teammate Steph Curry began to form the best shooting duo in the Association. He and the Warriors finally made noise in the playoffs bowing out to the San Antonio Spurs in six games in the second round.
In his third season, Thompson became a household name. He and Curry set a new NBA record for three-pointers with 484, besting their record performance from the year prior. His 18.4 points per game, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists helped the Warriors claim the sixth seed in the West, eventually losing to the Clippers in the first round in a memorable seven-game series.
The summer of 2014, Thompson played part in Team USA’s gold medal win at the FIBA World Cup
The 2014-15 season would be Thompson’s best to date. In late October, he signed a four-year extension with Golden State for $68 million. Thompson’s stellar season earned him his first All-Star appearance. He set a career-high in points with 52 on January 23, 2015, in a 126-101 win over Sacramento. Golden State would make it to the NBA Finals that June and Thompson shined in the spotlight. In Game 2, he would record a career-high 34 points in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. That loss didn’t matter, as the Warriors won the Finals in six games, ending the franchise’s 40-year championship drought.
Following up his part in the Warriors title season of 2014-15, Thompson upped his performance. He started the season averaging 17.2 points per game over his first 21 games. His play helped the Warriors to a record 24 consecutive wins. Thompson would be given his second-straight All-Star nod and he would win the Three-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend, defeating his teammate Curry and Devin Booker. In late March, Thompson registered back-to-back 40-point games.
The Warriors would make it to the NBA Finals again, due in part to Thompson’s brilliant performance in game seven of the Conference Finals against the Thunder. He hit 11 three-pointers and scored 41 points.
After falling to the Cavaliers in seven games in the Finals, Thompson and the Warriors went on a mission in 2016-17. On December 5th, Thompson scored 60 points in 28 minutes, becoming the first player in NBA history to score that many points in less than 30 minutes of action. At All-Star Weekend, Thompson was a reserve on the Western Conference squad. Despite struggling in the playoffs, Thompson and the Warriors would capture their second NBA Championship, finishing with a 16-1 record in the playoffs.
This past season, Thompson has continued to break not only Warriors records, but NBA records. He became the 10th Warrior to reach 10,000 career points in a regular season on February 22, 2018. The Warriors are looking to repeat as champions, with Thompson at the helm.
