Few backyard basketball games could rival those at the Thompson residence in Portland, Ore.
On any given afternoon, you could find the father, Mychal, who won two NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, playing against his sons Mychel, who starred at Pepperdine University, and Klay, who had a successful career at Washington State University.
The countless hours of competing, teaching and practicing culminated at the 2011 NBA draft. The three Thompson men were reunited at a round table on the floor of the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, eagerly anticipating the professional basketball fates for Klay and Mychel.
Klay, a guard who was named to the All-Pac-10 First Team last year as a junior, did not have to wait long to get drafted. He was selected with the 11th pick in the first round by the Golden State Warriors.
“It is almost too good to be true, especially with all of my family on the West Coast,” Klay said. “I can tell the Warriors are going in the right direction.”
Mychel was beaming as he watched his younger brother walk up to the stage to shake hands with NBA Commissioner David Stern.
“I could not be more proud of [Klay],” Mychel said. “He made it. Now he will keep improving and getting better.”
Mychel was not one of the 60 players who heard his name called at the 2011 NBA draft, but he still has realistic professional aspirations. He worked out with nine NBA teams prior to the draft, including the Lakers, and hopes to sign a free agent contract and compete for an NBA roster position.
“Every team I worked out with gave me really good feedback,” Mychel said. “I thought I did pretty well, and held my own.”
In previous years, Mychel would have likely earned an invitation to participate at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, giving him an opportunity to showcase his talents in front of NBA and international scouts.
However, with uncertainty regarding the NBA’s labor agreement, the league decided to cancel the annual NBA Summer League.
“It is tougher without the summer league,” Mychel said. “I will keep training, and see where I end up.”
Throughout the NBA draft process, Klay and Mychel were advised by their father, Mychal. The elder Thompson was the first overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft.
“[Mychel] got a lot of positive attention,” his father said. “We are sure that he will sign soon.”
Mychel graduated from Pepperdine as the 14th-leading career scorer in Waves history. He ranks third in minutes played, and fourth in both three-pointers made and steals. For his career, he averaged 11 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
“I enjoyed it,” Mychel said about his time at Pepperdine. “It is a great place to be. When anybody asks me about it, I tell them I loved it, and the program is only going to get better.”
Marty Wilson, who has been an assistant coach the past three seasons at Pepperdine, will replace Tom Asbury this upcoming season as head coach.
“[Wilson] knows how to get the most out of his players,” Mychel said. “The program is going in the right direction.”
Senior guard Lorne Jackson is the leading returning scorer for the Waves, after averaging 13.2 points per game last season.