Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson picks Kobe Bryant and Reggie Miller as his childhood inspirations

The current Golden State Warriors team has been mostly around Stephen Curry and his heroics in guiding them to a NBA Championship last year. People often forget the contribution of Klay Thompson right after he returned from an injury that could have possibly ended his basketball career. However now he is rolling once again and in Curry’s absence, leading the Warriors to game wins.

Speaking about his childhood and how he developed his style of play, Thompson shared that he was very influenced by former Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. He recently spoke about his idols while growing up in an interview after guiding the Golden State Warriors to a win against Houston Rockets. The Splash Brother spoke about the Mamba mentality that Kobe Bryant brought up and it made Thompson a fan of the Lakers legend. He was deeply inspired by him.

“Being the shooting guard I am, I idolized Kobe Bryant. He was never one to make friends out on the floor. He just wanted to win at all costs,” Thompson shared.

He spoke on several aspects but as he went on he also named NBA legend Reggie Miller as a player who has inspired him a lot. He feels that his gameplay is similar to Miller, who was also a legendary sharpshooter and was known for his range shooting.

He shared that he wants to be remembered and wants to inspire kids like he got inspired in his childhood. He wants his legacy to be of someone who always competed at the highest level and who gave it all to win.

My style resembles that of Reggie Miller. I call myself the modern day Reggie. Reggie got in so many scarps, he got under so many people’s skin. So, I really love those two guys at the two-guard spot and they left it all out there, man, and that’s what I want to do when I look back at my career and say ‘man, I gave everything I had and I competed at the highest level I could’,” Thompson added.

Uncle Reg is a fine comparison if we are speaking about similarities between Klay Thompson. Both the players are known for their impact in the game in their respective eras and both can shoot the ball from beyond the arc with precision. So it is a very fair comparison from the Warriors star. Even their numbers are identical and it speaks volumes about the player they have been over the years at the top level.

Klay Thompson has levlled up his game especially since his best mate and star Stephen Curry has been sidelined. Thompson is averaging 28.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists in the 8-game span and is helping the Warriors get crucial wins. The Dubs are currently in seventh position in the Western Conference with a 31-30 record. Thompson and the Warriors as a unit will hope to win more matches and climb up the ladder until Curry returns to full fitness.