Klay Thompson is known for his career on the basketball court as a player for the Dallas Mavericks, but his parents have been cheering him on for much longer.

Mychal and Julie Thompson welcomed Klay into the world on Feb. 8, 1990, passing down their own athleticism to their son. Both of Klay’s parents are former athletes, with Mychal having an NBA career of his own after playing for the Portland Trailblazers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers while Julie is a former collegiate volleyball player.

The couple also have two other sons who happen to have followed in their parents’ footsteps, Klay’s older brother Mychel, who had a six-year basketball career in the NBA’s G League, and his younger brother Trayce, an outfielder for the Boston Red Sox.

For Klay, his parents had a huge impact on his athletic career, though both he and his brothers have said they never felt pressured to follow in their footsteps. He credits his dad, in particular, who now works as a broadcaster for the Lakers, for being his “biggest believer.”

“He’s always told me since I was about 17 that I could make the N.B.A. if I just stayed humble and worked hard,” he told the New York Times in 2014. “He won’t cupcake around if I’m not doing something right. He’s one of the most blunt people you’ll ever meet — he’ll tell you like it is.”

Klay has shared similar praise for his mom over the years as well. After receiving his fourth NBA championship ring in October 2022, he gave Julie a sweet shout-out.

“The vision came to fruition and now I just want to send a special shout-out to my mother,” he said. “I know she’s watching, she couldn’t be here tonight. I love you mom, thanks for everything. I love you.”

Here’s everything to know about Klay Thompson’s parents, Julie and Mychal Thompson.

Mychal is also an NBA Champion

Mychal had a successful career in the NBA, playing from 1978 to 1991 on several teams. Most notably, he played on the Los Angeles Lakers for four seasons alongside Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, helping them win two back-to-back championships in 1987 and 1988, per ESPN.

In 2017, Klay shared a photo of himself and his dad posing with the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy on Instagram, captioning the picture with four ring emojis, referencing the four championship rings between them at the time.

In a 2015 Father’s Day video for the NBA, Mychal shared while watching Klay play in his first NBA Championship: “Watching him is very nerve-wracking. I’d rather be on the floor than sitting up here watching, where I feel so helpless … nothing compares to this, to see your son realize his dream. I’m just so proud of him.”

As a former Laker himself, Mychal has admitted that he was “really disappointed” that his son decided to sign with the Mavericks rather than making the move to L.A.

“I was hoping, as you can assess, that he would be a Laker. And it was close,” Mychal said during a 2024 appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “It came down to the Lakers and the Mavs, but the Mavs won out. But you know me, I was hoping and praying he’d finish his career with the Lakers.”

He later added, “I accept it and I’m happy for him that he’s happy with his decision. But yeah, of course I tried to sell him on the Lakers.”

Mychal is a radio analyst and announcer

After retiring from the NBA, Mychal once again joined the Lakers organization — this time as a radio announcer — before the 2003-2004 season. According to ESPN, Klay, who was 14 at the time, got to shoot around on the Lakers floor before every home game.

Mychal is currently on his 20th season as the Lakers’ radio analyst, and his team is now facing off against his son’s team in the 2023 NBA playoffs. When asked who he thought his dad would be rooting for, the then-Golden State Warriors star joked to reporters: “If I had to guess, probably his employer.”

He added, “I have so many great memories of him watching the Lakers, Kobe, Shaq and Pau [Gasol] … I’m just really excited to try and stick it to the team I grew up rooting for.”

Mychal was born in the Bahamas

Mychal was born in Nassau, Bahamas, according to the National Archives of the Bahamas, where he began playing basketball at the age of 16.

He often brought his kids to visit the island, telling NBC Sports in March 2021 that it’s a reason Klay loves the ocean himself. “Ever since he was a kid — going swimming, jumping in pools, jumping in lakes up in Oregon, jumping in the river … he was always fascinated and attracted to the water,” Mychael said. “I think it’s part of his Bahamian roots.”

Mychal predicted that after the NBA, Klay will probably take his love for the ocean one step further. “Yeah. I’d be surprised. I’d be shocked if he sticks around the NBA scene,” Mychal said in a July 2021 interview with the outlet. “He’s really into the ocean, really into his boat. I could see him getting on a boat and just sailing the world — cruising the world.

He added, “Becoming an old sea captain in the Bahamas and taking tourists out for excursions and stuff [laughter]. I could see him doing that.”

Mychal used to bring Klay to work with him at the Staples Center

When Mychal announced home games for the Lakers, he would bring along Klay, who would shoot the ball on the court and receive advice from NBA legend Kobe Bryant.

“It would make my job easy when it came to basketball,” Mychal told 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” in July 2022. “Because I could take him to Staples Center and say, ‘There’s Kobe, go talk to him.’ Then Kobe would take the time and be gracious enough to talk to Klay and other young people like Klay who were basketball players who were coming up.”

He continued, “And he would tell them about the right way to approach the game, the right way to play [and] to have passion for the game … when you have a legend, an icon like Kobe giving that type of advice, I could just sit back and relax a little bit, because he’s gonna listen to that guy probably more than he’s gonna listen to me.”

Mychal is proud of Klay for mentoring other NBA players

In a radio interview with 95.7 The Game’s “Morning Roast” (via NBC Sports), Mychal shared he was proud of his son for mentoring young NBA players like Jordan Poole and Moses Moody.

“That makes me feel good to see that he wants to be a mentor to the younger player,” he said. “And to see him give it back to a young guy like Moses Moody and James Wiseman – it makes me feel good, makes me proud to see that he’s sharing his advice and his wisdom for the younger guys.”

The proud dad added: “And trying to get those guys to try to live up to their potential. That’s real manly. Klay’s being a real man about that. That’s great to see.”

Julie was a collegiate athlete

Mychal wasn’t the only athlete of the couple. Julie was a star volleyball player and track and field athlete in high school, and she played Division 1 volleyball at the University of Portland before transferring to the University of San Francisco, per the Los Angeles Times.

“She’s the best athlete in the family, and all the boys will tell you that,” Mychal told the outlet of his wife.

Klay echoed the sentiment, joking to the Spokesman-Review in 2011, just after he signed with the Warriors: “Our dad used to just loaf down the court. We got our height thanks to him. But our athleticism came from mom.”

Julie helped Klay recover from his Achilles injury

Julie has also been by her son’s side when he needed her the most. When Klay injured his right Achilles tendon (which took him out of the 2019-2020 season) ESPN reported that Julie “came over daily, helping him get around to do tasks.”

Klay told the outlet: “I’m in a big cast and gosh, ‘thing’s luggy’. It’s hard to get up and brush your teeth or make breakfast … just the most simple things. You can’t drive a car, so you just feel immobilized.”

Klay credits Julie for her guidance

In a sweet 2015 Instagram post on Mother’s Day, Klay expressed his gratitude for his mom’s guidance.

“Happy Mother’s Day mom. I wouldn’t be the man or professional I am without your guidance along the way!” he wrote alongside a throwback picture of her holding Klay in her lap as a young boy.

Julie also helps him when it comes to his fashion choices. When asked by ESPN in 2019 about who had the best style on his team, Klay revealed that his mom picks out some of his clothes.

“Andre [Iguodala], for sure. My mom and his wife go shopping together for us. … They have good senses of style,” he said.

Julie and Mychal launched a foundation with their kids

Along with their three sons, Julie and Mychal founded the Thompson Family Foundation in 2017. The organization aims to “enrich the lives of youth in the United States and the Bahamas through fitness and education.”

In February 2022, the foundation launched the 941 Project, which assists and supports “re-entry to the workplace for individuals from disadvantaged situations.” The program was inspired by Klay’s return to basketball following a two-and-a-half-year rehabilitation period from two career-threatening injuries.