With the Dallas Mavericks, Klay Thompson has a new beginning with a completely different quantity of threads.
During his 13-season tenure with the Golden State Warriors, Thompson wore the to-be-retired No. 11; however, he will now wear No. 31 in Dallas, since teammate Kyrie Irving wears No. 11 for the Mavericks.
In his first press conference on Tuesday, the four-time NBA champion explained why he changed his number.
“This franchise has had a lot of great No. 31s,” Thompson remarked. “Jason Terry won a championship while playing with that number, and our off-guard positions, floor spacing, and shooting mechanics are extremely comparable. He thoroughly enjoyed his year there.
After spending eight seasons as a player for Dallas, Terry contributed to the Mavs’ 2011 NBA championship success. However, Thompson draws inspiration from other sources outside the journeyman guard.
“No. 31 was worn by Reggie Miller,” Thompson went on. As a teenager, I saw a lot of footage of Reggie, particularly his ability to make game-winning shots. As a shooter, that is the most motivating thing to witness since he was not afraid of making or missing the shot because he knew he would either live or die by it. I mean, I style my game after him. I can still picture him in the East Finals, pushing off Mike, curving off the right wing, and banking that three.
Despite the fact that Miller never played for Dallas, it’s easy to understand why Thompson would hold the Hall of Fame shooter in high regard. The legendary Indiana Pacers player is ranked fifth on the NBA’s all-time list of three-point scorers with a career percentage of 39.5% from beyond the arc (2,560 three-pointers). Thompson has 2,481 three-pointers, which puts him exactly behind.
Thompson remarked, “You can’t leave me open like you could, Reggie.” It would be a great way to remember someone who truly opened the door for a shooter like me, so I believed I’d have a chance to pass him in threes made.
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