Entertainment
All About Klay Thompson’s Parents, Mom Julie and Dad Mychal Thompson

NEED TO KNOW
- Klay Thompson was born to Mychal and Julie Thompson on Feb. 8, 1990
- His mom, Julie, was a collegiate volleyball player
- His dad, Mychal, is a former NBA pro who played for the Portland Trailblazers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers
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
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty
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
Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty
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
Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty
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
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty
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
Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty
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
Mychel Thompson Instagram
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
Charley Gallay/Getty
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
Klay Thompson Instagram
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
Charley Gallay/Getty
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.
Entertainment
Norman Reedus’ son makes alarming threat after arrest for assault

Norman Reedus and supermodel Helena Christensen’s troubled son, Mingus Reedus, asked a startling question one day after he was arrested for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend.
The 25-year-old model was walking outside of his apartment in New York City on Sunday when he asked The Post, “You want to watch me kill myself?”
Mingus was wearing the same green shorts and black T-shirt he wore to court a day earlier, and he carried his cat in a bag.
He also took a shot at a reporter for The Post Saturday as he exited the courtroom, calling her “ugly.”
Mingus was taken into custody on Saturday for alleged domestic violence after officers responded to a call at a Manhattan address about a female who had taken pills and was threatening to commit suicide.
A police source told The Post that Mingus allegedly punched a female victim in the leg, causing redness, and then choked her and slammed her to the ground. He was formally charged with criminal obstruction of breathing and third-degree assault.
He was later arraigned on new charges Saturday night in Manhattan Criminal Court, including reckless physical injury, aggravated harassment and second-degree harassment.
Prosecutors allege that he choked his 33-year-old girlfriend with such force that he lifted her off the ground inside their apartment.
He has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
Mingus’ attorney, Priya Chaudhry — who previously represented Jonathan Majors in his assault case — said her client was “concerned” for his girlfriend, according to The Post. She claimed Mingus ended the couple’s roughly five-month relationship, which allegedly caused the victim to become distressed and take “a number of sleeping pills” in an attempt to commit suicide.
According to Chaudhry, the victim has since moved out of their shared home, is “not afraid” of Mingus and has no interest in proceeding with the case or pressing charges.
Mingus has since been ordered to stay away from the victim.
Reedus and Christensen, both 56, split when Mingus was 4 years old, but have had a friendly co-parenting relationship. The former Victoria’s Secret model shared a happy picture of them together in 2018, celebrating Mingus’ high school graduation.
The “Walking Dead” actor has been engaged to actress Diane Kruger since 2021. They welcomed their daughter, Nova Tennessee, in 2018.
Entertainment
Where Is Paula Deen Now? Inside the Celebrity Chef’s Life After Food Network

NEED TO KNOW
- It has been over a decade since Paula Deen’s Food Network show came to an end in 2013
- The “Queen of Southern Cuisine” has released more cookbooks and recipes since then
- In July 2025, Deen announced the abrupt closure of two of her restaurants, including her flagship eatery, The Lady & Sons
Paula Deen‘s career has had moments of success and controversy.
For more than a decade in the early 2000s, the Georgia native was a staple on television, starring in her own cooking shows, releasing cookbooks and establishing restaurants. But in June 2013, Food Network dropped Dean after she admitted to using a racial slur in the workplace in a sworn deposition, according to The New York Times.
Since then, Deen has largely stayed out of the spotlight. More recently, though, Deen made headlines again when she announced the abrupt closure of two of her restaurants on Aug. 1.
“Hey, y’all, my sons and I made the heartfelt decision that Thursday, July 31st, was the last day of service for The Lady & Sons and The Chicken Box,” she wrote in a statement posted on her Facebook and official website. “Thank you for all the great memories and for your loyalty over the past 36 years.”
That same month, on Aug. 20, Deen gave Fox & Friends’ Steve Doocy a tour of her home in Savannah, Ga.
So what happened to Paula Deen? Here’s everything to know about her culinary career and what she’s doing today, years after parting ways with Food Network.
She started her professional culinary career in 1989
Paula Deen/Facebook
In June 1989, Deen started a catering company from her kitchen. She opened The Bag Lady catering company with her “last $200,” according to a June 2025 Facebook post. Deen helped get her business off the ground with the help of her sons, Jamie and Bobby, who would deliver her homemade Southern food to workers in Savannah.
Two years later, in 1991, she opened a buffet restaurant, The Lady, in the lobby of a Best Western Hotel, the Chicago Tribune reported. Deen dedicated herself to the location — alongside her kids and her husband, Michael — until her next venture put her on the map.
In January 1996, the chef launched The Lady & Sons in downtown Savannah, eventually becoming a popular establishment and leading to TV superstardom.
She landed her first show on the Food Network in 2002
Peter Kramer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Deen released her first cookbook, The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook, in April 1998.
According to her official website, Deen then made her television debut on QVC, and in 2002, she starred in her own Food Network show, Paula’s Home Cooking. The cooking TV program ran for 10 years, ending in 2012.
In addition to Paula’s Home Cooking, she starred in Paula’s Party and Paula’s Best Dishes, both of which aired on the Food Network.
She left TV in 2013 after admitting to using racist language in the past
Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty
Paula’s Home Cooking was a staple on the Food Network for a decade, but the channel cut ties with her amid controversy.
In 2012, Deen and her brother, Bubba Hiers, were sued by former employee Lisa Jackson for $1.2 million, per CBS News. Lisa previously worked at Uncle Bubba’s Seafood and Oyster House, an establishment co-owned by Deen and run by Hiers. According to the ex-employee, during her five years as a manager, she experienced sexual harassment and racial discrimination.
The following year, in May 2013, Deen admitted during a deposition that she used a racial slur on a few occasions in the past, CBS News reported. Shortly after, the Food Network announced that it wouldn’t renew the celebrity chef’s contract, which was set to expire at the end of June. In addition, retailers like Walmart and Target stated they would no longer sell Deen’s products and a book deal was scrapped.
As the fallout continued, Deen was scheduled to do a sit-down interview on the Today show, but was a no-show, per CBS News. Instead, she released two apology videos online.
“I want to apologize to everybody for the wrong that I’ve done,” she said in one of the clips, per The Hollywood Reporter. “I want to learn and grow from this. … Inappropriate hurtful language is totally, totally unacceptable. I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way. But I beg you, my children, my team, my fans, my partners, I beg for your forgiveness. Please forgive me for the mistakes that I’ve made.”
Following the Food Network’s decision not to renew her contract, Deen released a statement to PEOPLE.
“I have had the pleasure of being allowed into so many homes across the country and meeting people who have shared with me the most touching and personal stories,” it read. “This would not have been possible without the Food Network. Thank you again. Love and best dishes to all of ya’ll.”
In August 2013, a settlement was reached, though its details weren’t made public, according to ABC News.
She went on to compete on Dancing with the Stars in 2015
Adam Taylor/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
While Deen’s tenure on the Food Network was over, her time on television was not.
In June 2014, she embarked on a live tour called Paula Deen Live!, which consisted of 20 shows across the U.S., per the Las Vegas Sun News. Each stop was set to feature a 90-minute session with the celebrity chef who advertised cooking demos, interactive audience games and personal stories.
The following year, Deen competed on season 21 of Dancing with the Stars, which premiered in September 2015.
“Let me tell you—I’m excited and nervous,” she wrote on her website, about appearing on the competition series. “There’s just a whole array of emotions that could overwhelm a person. After all, I’m 68 and startin’ on this physically demanding show.”
In October 2015, Deen was eliminated during the sixth week of the season, but she stayed busy. Earlier that same year, she launched a mobile game and a line of dog food. Deen later released several other products as part of an online shop, including seasonings and jewelry.
She is still releasing cookbooks and sharing recipes online
Tara Ziemba/Getty
In the years since she said goodbye to her Food Network audience, Deen has continued to release cookbooks, her most recent being 2023’s Love and Best Dishes. Her magazine, Cooking with Paula Deen, is still being published today as well; its first issue hit newsstands in 2005.
As for television, Deen debuted her show, Positively Paula, in 2016. It aired for two seasons and a total of 26 episodes. In June 2020, she launched her YouTube channel, where she posts new videos daily to nearly 600,000 subscribers.
She announced the closure of two restaurants in August 2025
James Quine/Alamy Stock Photo; Mediapunch/Shutterstock
On Aug. 1, Deen announced the abrupt closing of two of her eateries, The Lady & Sons and The Chicken Box.
“We have endless love and gratitude for every customer who has walked through our doors,” she wrote in a statement posted online. “We are equally grateful to our incredible staff — past and present — whose hard work, care, and hospitality made The Lady & Sons what it was. Savannah will always be our home, and we’ll always be here to support our wonderful community.”
The letter ended with Deen and her sons saying they “will now focus” their attention on the four remaining locations of Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen: Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Myrtle Beach, S.C., Nashville, Tenn. and Branson, Mo.
“We’re excited to continue visiting these restaurants regularly, starting with Branson on August 8th,” the statement concluded. A reason for the closing of The Chicken Box and The Lady & Sons was not given.
Deen will appear in the documentary Canceled: The Paula Deen Story, which will revisit the fallout of her career in 2013. The project will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 6.
Entertainment
Sydney Sweeney’s ‘Americana’ co-star Halsey slams fans who boycotted film over ‘denim bulls–t’

Sydney Sweeney’s “Americana” co-star Halsey slammed fans who are boycotting their film due to the former’s American Eagle controversy.
“you should go see this movie. because [director] @tonytost made an exceptional film, in honor of a genre he knows intimately,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories alongside a promo poster of the crime thriller.
“Because his work and his vision are greater than the 24 hr gossip tabloid denim bulls–t,” the “Without Me” singer, 30, added.
“If you love cinema, then you should know that cinema comes first. This is cinema,” she concluded.
Halsey, born Ashley Frangipane, then said she doesn’t think it’s “fair” for the media to “predatorily rip a hardworking director and his hardworking crew for their film that is completely separate-from and unrelated-to a (pretty dumb) advertising take.”
The “Walls Could Talk” singer’s comments come after “Americana” flopped during its nationwide debut last weekend.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the film garnered around $840,000, a per-theater average of $460, after debuting in 1,100 theaters across the country.
The movie came in 16th place.
Several fans vowed to boycott the film after Sweeney, 27, was accused of promoting “Nazi propaganda” by using a play on the words “genes” and “jeans” in her American Eagle ad.
Amid the backlash, the clothing company released a statement, saying, “We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
The “Euphoria” actress recently dodged questions about the ad drama.
Additionally, Sweeney faced backlash from fans after public voter records revealed that she has been registered with the Republican Party of Florida in Monroe County since June 2024.
-
Business2 weeks ago
Boylecheloid Flower: Mystery of Cosmos bipinnatus Unveiled
-
Business2 weeks ago
Contact DesignMode24: Easy Ways to Reach Their Team
-
Business2 weeks ago
What is Movierulz 2024? Risks, Reality & Safer Alternatives
-
Business2 weeks ago
Internet Chicks: Women Redefining Influence Online
-
Business2 weeks ago
5StarsStocks.com Income Stocks: Smart, Sustainable Dividend Picks for Reliable Returns
-
Business2 weeks ago
How to Secure a High-Risk Merchant Account at HighRiskPay
-
Business2 weeks ago
AIO-TLP370 Leak Explained: Risks & Protection
-
Business2 weeks ago
Anna’s Archive: Inside the World’s Largest Open Shadow Library