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TheSplash Brothers are a former duo of American professionalbasketball players,guardsStephen Curry andKlay Thompson, who played together for theGolden State Warriors in theNational Basketball Association (NBA) from 2011 to 2024. Considered among the greatest shooters in NBA history,[1][2] and one of the greatest backcourts of all time,[3][4] they combined to set various NBA records forthree-point field goals by a pair of teammates, and each won theThree-Point Contest. They wereNBA All-Stars and together won fourNBA championships and appeared in sixNBA Finals with the Warriors.
The sons of former NBA players, neither Curry nor Thompson were highlyrecruited out of high school, but enjoyed relatively successfulcollege basketball careers before being selected in the first round of theNBA draft by the Warriors. Curry was chosen with the seventh overall pick in2009, while Thompson was the eleventh overall selection in2011. In 2014–15, they became the first teammates in the league to be thestarting guards in the same All-Star Game since 1975, and they were the Warriors' first pair of All-Stars since 1993. They also became the first guard combo to be named to theAll-NBA Team in the same season since 1979–80. The two also enjoyed team success, helping the Warriors win the2015 NBA Finals for the team's first title in 40 years. They would later replicate the feat in 2017, 2018, and 2022 for four championships. Additionally, they were teammates on theUnited States national team in 2014, winning the gold medal at theFIBA Basketball World Cup. After 13 years with Golden State, Thompson left to join theDallas Mavericks in a six-teamsign-and-trade deal on July 6, 2024.[5][6]
Stephen Curry andKlay Thompson both share similar backgrounds and circumstances as to how they began playing basketball. For instance, both were born into athletic families. Their fathers,Dell Curry andMychal Thompson, each had productive NBA careers, while mothersSonya Curry and Julie Thompson were bothvolleyball players in college. Their brothers,Seth Curry andMychel Thompson, also became basketball players.[7] However, neither Stephen nor Klay were highlyrecruited bycollege basketball programs.[7]
Curry did not receiveathletic scholarship offers from any major universities, and his parents' alma mater,Virginia Tech, asked him to be awalk-on. He landed at amid-major basketball program inDavidson College, a small private school inNorth Carolina.[8][9] As a sophomore, Curry's scoring andthree-point shooting developed a national following as he led theWildcats within a game of the Final Four in the2008 NCAA Tournament.[7][8] The following season, he was a consensus first-teamAll-American andled the nation in scoring with an average of 28.6 points per game.[8][10]
Thompson played atWashington State University, which was not considered a basketball powerhouse.[7] Recruited there by coachTony Bennett, he was only lightly recruited by the other Pacific-10 (nowPac-12) schools, prompting him to move fromCalifornia toWashington.[7] Thompson became a two-time, first-teamAll-Pac-10 player, and led the conference in scoring with 21.6 points per game in2010–11.[11] He finished hisCougars career holding the school record for most career three-pointers (242).[12]
Golden State selected the 6-foot-2-inch (1.88 m) Curry in the first round of the2009 NBA draft with the seventh overall pick.[13] Although the Warriors already had another lean, 6-foot-3, offensive-minded guard inMonta Ellis, coachDon Nelson had a penchant for using small lineups in hisNellie Ball system, and had warmed to the idea of selecting Curry.[14][15] However, Ellis announced at a media session that he and Curry were too small to play together.[7][16] Two years later, while Curry and Ellis were still adjusting to each other, the Warriors added another scoringguard in the 6-foot-6-inch (1.98 m) Thompson, whom they drafted in the first round with the 11th overall pick in2011.[7][13] Curry and Thompson had limited time together in their first year as teammates; the2011–12 season was shortened to 66 games because ofthe NBA lockout, and Curry missed 40 games due to injuries.[17] Towards the end of the season, Golden State traded the fan-favorite Ellis in a deal forcenterAndrew Bogut, leaving Curry to lead the team and opening theshooting guard position to Thompson, who provided needed size to their backcourt.[7][18][19]
In2012–13, Curry and Thompson combined to make 483 three-pointers, the most ever by an NBA duo.[a][21] Curry set an NBA record with 272 three-pointers, while Thompson added 211, at the time the 22nd best season in league history. Warriors coachMark Jackson opined that the tandem was "the greatest shooting backcourt of all time".[17][22] Golden State advanced to the second round of theNBA playoffs before losing to the eventualWestern Conference championSan Antonio Spurs.[23] Curry and Thompson in2013–14 became the first teammates to finish first and second in three-pointers, making 261 and 223, respectively.[24][25] They also extended their combined three-pointer record by one (484), and together averaged 42.4 points per game.[26] With Curry making 42.4 percent of his three-point attempts and Thompson converting 41.7 percent,ESPN.com wrote that "no backcourt in history has rivaled the Splash Brothers in both categories of 3-point volume and efficiency."[27] During the offseason, they were both members of the2014 U.S. national team that won the gold at FIBA World Cup.[7] The two combined to make more three-pointers than any other duo in the tournament, accounting for 43 of Team USA's 77 threes in 13 games.[28][29] Thompson established himself as a star in the international competition, and emerged more as Curry's peer rather than his sidekick.[30] He was the second-leading scorer for Team USA, averaging 12.7 points, while Curry added 10.7.[b]
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Prior to the2014–15 season, the Warriors considered breaking up the pair and trading Thompson forforwardKevin Love, but kept their starting backcourt intact by signing Thompson to a four-year, $70 million contract extension.[31] That season, Curry and Thompson each scored 50 points in a game, just the seventh time it had occurred on the same team in an NBA season, and the first time since 1994–95.[c] They both started in the2015 NBA All-Star Game, becoming the first teammates to be the starting guards in an All-Star Game since1975.[d] Curry received the most All-Star fan votes of any player for his second straight All-Star start. Coming off NBA single-quarter records of 37 points and nine three-pointers during a 52-point game in January, Thompson was making his All-Star debut.[31][34] He was voted onto the team as a reserve byWestern Conference coaches before being named as a replacement starter by West coachSteve Kerr, who had become the Warriors coach that season. The Splash Brothers were the Warriors' first All-Star duo sinceTim Hardaway andChris Mullin in1993, and the franchise's first pair of starters in the All-Star game sinceRick Barry andNate Thurmond in1967.[31] DuringAll-Star Weekend, Curry and Thompson also competed in theThree-Point Contest, which was widely considered to have the greatest field of contestants in the event's history.[34][35] They both advanced to the three-man final round before Curry won the contest.[36]
The Warriors finished Kerr's first season with a league-best 67–15 record, the most wins ever by an NBA rookie coach,[37] and won the2015 NBA Finals for their first title in 40 years.[38] Curry captured theNBA Most Valuable Player Award.[39] Kerr had Curry guard opposingpoint guards, which Curry credited with keeping him more focused; Jackson had previously assigned that defensive responsibility to the taller Thompson.[40] Additionally, Curry broke his own record for three-pointers (286), and Thompson again finished second in the league (239) as the two combined to make 525 threes, surpassing their previous record by 41 while converting 44 percent of their shots.[41][42][43] They were both named to theAll-NBA Team, with Curry being named to the first team, and Thompson earning third-team honors. It was the first time Warriors teammates were named All-NBA in the same season since Mullin (first team) and Hardaway (second) were recognized in1991–92. Curry and Thompson were the first backcourt mates to be selected All-NBA since 1979–80, whenGus Williams andDennis Johnson ofSeattle were both named to the second team.[44]
In honor of their 2015 championship, Golden State visited theWhite House in February 2016, and PresidentBarack Obama opined that Thompson'sjump shot was "actually a little prettier" than Curry's.[45] The Warriors entered theAll-Star break in2015–16 with a 48–4 record, the best start in NBA history.[46] Curry was voted intothe All-Star Game as a starter, and Thompson was selected as a reserve along with teammateDraymond Green.[47] Curry was averaging a league-leading 29.8 points per game, and both he and Thompson were again 1–2 in the league in three-pointers made.[46] They were again selected to compete in the Three-Point Contest, and Curry was a heavy favorite to win; the betting site, Bovada, listed Curry as the favorite to win with 10–11odds, while Thompson was second at 9–2.[48] Once more, the two advanced to the final round, but Thompson prevailed while Curry was the runner-up, outscoring him 27–23.[49]
With 24 games remaining in the season, Curry again surpassed his NBA record for three-pointers, reaching 288 against theOklahoma City Thunder in a 121–118 win. He also tied an NBA record with 12 three-pointers in the game,[e] including the game-winner from beyond 30 feet (9.1 m) in the last second in overtime.[50] Curry and Thompson broke their combined record for three-pointers in a season after just 66 games, when the Warriors (60–6) became the fastest team in league history to ever reach 60 wins in a season.[51] Golden State finished the season with an NBA-record 73 wins.[52] Curry finished the season with 402 three-point shots made, and Thompson was second with 276. Their combined total of 678 shattered their previous record by 153.[53][54] They were also the highest-scoring duo in the NBA with an average of 52.2 points per game.[55] In the playoffs, the Warriors rallied from a 3–1 deficit in theWestern Conference Finals to defeat Oklahoma City, 4–3.[52] Thompson scored 41 points and made an NBA playoff record 11 three-pointers in Game 6,[52] and the Splash Brothers were the first NBA players to finish with at least 30 three-pointers in a playoff series. Their 62 combined makes exceeded the Thunders' series total of 55.[56]
In2016–17, Curry and Thompson became the first two players in NBA history to make at least 200 three-pointers in five consecutive seasons.[57] Curry broke the NBA record for most three-pointers made in a single game with 13, breaking the previous of 12 he held jointly withKobe Bryant andDonyell Marshall.[58] In2017–18, the duo each made 200 three-pointers again to extend their record for consecutive seasons with 200 made.[59] In Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals againstHouston, Thompson scored 35 points and shot 9-of-14 on three-pointers and Curry added 29 points and five 3's to help the Warriors overcome a 17-point deficit and win 115–86, staving off elimination and tying the series at 3–3.[60] The Splash Brothers outscored the Rockets 37–25 in the second half while shooting 11-of-15 on three-pointers.[61]
All-StarcenterDeMarcus Cousins joined the Warriors in2018–19. While teammates with Curry and Thompson on the2014 US FIBA Basketball World Cup team, he had joked that he was the third Splash Brother.[62] At the time, he had made nine of his 61 three-point attempts (14.8%) in his four-year career,[63] but had improved to 35.1 percent in the four years since.[64] On October 29, 2018, against theChicago Bulls, Thompson hit an NBA-record 14 threes to break Curry's former mark of 13. Thompson scored 52 points in 27 minutes while making 14-for-24 of his threes. His 10 three-pointers in the first half tiedChandler Parsons' record set in 2014, and Golden State made 17 threes in the first half to set the NBA record for a half.[65] With Curry having already scored 51 points in a game earlier in2018–19, the Splash Brothers became the first NBA teammates to have each scored 50 or more points in a contest through their team's first eight games.[66] In the2019 playoffs, the Warriors eliminated theLos Angeles Clippers in the first round 4–2, but both Curry and Thompson suffered sprained ankles in Game 6, and they were questionable entering Game 1 of the conference semifinals against Houston.[67] The series was tied 2–2 after four games, and the Splash Brothers were struggling with their 3-point shooting, combining to miss at least two-thirds of their attempts in five straight games,[f] the longest streak in their postseason history.[68][69] With the two struggling with their shooting,Kevin Durant had been the Warriors best player in the playoffs, averaging a team-leading 35.4 points entering Game 5.[70] However, Durant left the game with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter after suffering a strained right calf;[70][71] he was later ruled out indefinitely. Curry led the Golden State to a Game 5 win after scoring 16 of his 25 points after Durant exited, while Thompson had seven of his 27 during that stretch.[71] The Warriors captured the series on the road in Game 6, when Thompson scored 21 of his 27 in the first half, and Curry collected all of his 33 points in the second half.[72] Golden State lost 4–2 in the2019 finals against theToronto Raptors. Already without Durant, who returned andtore his Achilles in Game 5, the Warriors lost Thompson near the end of the third quarter of the deciding Game 6 after he tore theanterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.[73]
Golden State finished with a league-worst 15–50 record in2019–20. Thompson missed the entire season rehabilitating his injury, and Curry was limited to five games all season after breaking his left hand in October. The Warriors' season ended prematurely due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[74][75] In November 2020, Thompson tore his right Achilles tendon while playing apickup game and was ruled out for the2020–21 season.[76] Curry won his second Three-Point Contest in2021 and dedicated the win to the recovering Thompson.[77]
During the2021–22 season, Thompson returned to play in 32 regular season games,[78] and Curry became theNBA career leader in 3-pointers.[79] Fellow guardJordan Poole emerged as a starter for the team and his success in three-point shooting led some media writers to call him the "Third Splash Brother".[80][81] His three-point shooting attracted much attention, with teammates comparing Poole to Curry; Thompson called Poole a "baby Steph Curry", while Green stated Poole was doing "his best impression" of Curry.[82][83] Golden State advanced to the2022 finals, returning to the series after their fifth-straight appearance in 2019. They defeated theBoston Celtics in six games, with Curry winningFinals MVP unanimously.[79][84]
TheSplash Brothers nickname refers to the duo's ability to "splash" the net with the ball, particularly on three-point shots,[23] and is a play on an older nickname for another pair ofSan Francisco Bay Area teammates,baseball playersJose Canseco andMark McGwire, who were known as theBash Brothers when they played for theOakland Athletics.[22][31] The term began in 2012 in atweet from Brian Witt, a writer for the Warriors website. On December 21 against theCharlotte Bobcats, Curry and Thompson had combined for 25 points and seven 3-pointers by halftime, when Witt posted an update of their performance on the team'sTwitter account with a#SplashBrothershashtag; Golden State would win the game 115–100.[31] The Warriors liked the nickname, and encouraged Witt to continue tweeting it.[31]
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Klay Thompson and Steph Curry have been among the greatest shooters the NBA has ever seen ever since they stepped foot into the NBA.
Spotting up for 3s is usually a good idea for Curry and Thompson, widely regarded as two of the greatest shooters in NBA history.
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