A fiery Klay Thompson came up biggest when the Golden State Warriors needed him most in Sunday's 109-104 victory over the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves.
Asked about his palpable on-court intensity after the game, the 12th-year veteran couldn't help but invoke Kobe Bryant and Reggie Miller, two of the most notorious competitors and crunch-time shot-makers in league history.
“The greatest to ever play this game were the greatest competitors,” Thompson told Steve Smith on NBA TV. “Being the shooting guard I am, I idolize Kobe Bryant. He was never one to make friends out on the floor; he just wanted to win at all costs. My style resembles that of Reggie Miller; I call myself the modern-day Reggie. I mean, Reggie got in so many scrapes, he got under so many people's skin. I really love those guys at the two-guard spot. They left it all out there, and that's what I wanna do when I look back at my career is say, ‘Man, I gave it everything I had and I competed at the highest level I could.”
"My style resembles that of Reggie Miller. I call myself the modern day Reggie."@KlayThompson on who has inspired his game throughout his career. pic.twitter.com/2EYfMryAHg
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 27, 2023
Thompson was the perfect blend of those Hall-of-Fame predecessors against the Timberwolves, shouldering an even heavier offensive burden than normal with Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins sidelined. He finished with 32 points, five rebounds and four assists on 12-of-23 overall and 6-of-14 from beyond the arc, saving his best for last.
Klay Thompson's crunch-time brilliance highlights reactions from Golden State's thrilling, much-needed victory.
(via @armstrongwinter)https://t.co/9QYEakB4D8
— Warriors Nation (@WarriorNationCP) February 27, 2023
Thompson hit a pair of tough three-pointers, somehow banked in a 20-footer from the corner and found Anthony Lamb and Donte DiVincenzo for threes in back half of the fourth quarter, bringing his woefully depleted team back from a nine-point deficit at the start of the final stanza.
There's only Kobe, and Miller is the archetype oversized marksmen like Thompson have been following for decades. But just like those guys etched their names in league history forever, Thompson has, too. And even after four titles and a pair of devastating injuries that called his career into question, it's clear Klay Thompson is not finished writing his story.
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