Mychel Thompson (born June 1, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player.[1] He played college basketball at Pepperdine University. His father, Mychal Thompson, and brother, Klay Thompson, are also basketball players.

Mychel Thompson
Personal information
Born (1988-06-01) June 1, 1988 (age 35)
Los Angeles, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight211 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegePepperdine (2007–2011)
NBA draft2011: undrafted
Playing career2011–2017
PositionShooting guard
Number21
Career history
2011Erie BayHawks
2011–2012Cleveland Cavaliers
2012–2013Erie BayHawks
2013Sioux Falls Skyforce
2013–2015Santa Cruz Warriors
2015Pallacanestro Varese
2016–2017Santa Cruz Warriors
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA D-League champion (2015)
  • NBA D-League All-Rookie Second Team (2012)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life edit

Thompson was born on June 1, 1988, in Los Angeles, California to Mychal and Julie Thompson. His father, Mychal Thompson, was the first overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft and spent his 14-year career playing for the Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs in the NBA and Juvecaserta Basket in Italy.

Thompson has a younger brother, Klay, who played college basketball at Washington State University before being drafted in the first round of the 2011 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. His youngest brother, Trayce, was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox. All three were raised Catholic.[2]

Mychel played high school basketball at Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon for two years, before finishing off his high school career at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. After high school, he played one year at Stoneridge Prep, located in Simi Valley, California. He averaged 4.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game that season.[3]

College career edit

Heading into college, Thompson was rated as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com and the 91st-best fifth year player by Hoop Scoop Online.[3] On November 9, 2006, he committed to playing for Pepperdine University.[4] In his freshman season at Pepperdine, he started 24 of 32 games and averaged 8.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. He led the team in three pointers made with 56 and in three-point field goal percentage with 37.3% of his attempts going in. Thompson made a three-pointer in 30 of the 32 games he played. Against Northern Arizona, he scored a season-high 22 points, including five three-pointers.

Thompson started 30 of Pepperdine's 32 games in his sophomore season, averaging 9.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He made 35 three-pointers that season, which tied him for the team lead. During the season, he made at least one three-pointer in 21 games. In the season opener, he scored a season-high 25 points against Cal State-Monterey Bay.

As a junior, Thompson averaged 11.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, en route to being named to the All–West Coast Conference honorable mention team. For the third straight season, he led the team in three-pointers made with 48. He tied his career-high of 25 points against the Utah Utes on December 23, 2009, and was later named the Co–West Coast Conference Player of the Week for his performance against Loyola Marymount, a game in which he scored 22 points and made six of his seven three-point attempts.

In his final season at Pepperdine, he averaged 14.6 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game, both of which led the team. Thompson also led the team in three-pointers made for the fourth consecutive season with 53. For the second straight season, he was named to the All–WCC honorable mention team. Against the Nevada Wolf Pack, he scored a career-high 34 points. On February 2, 2011, he scored 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against the San Francisco Dons, becoming the first player from Pepperdine to record over 30 points and grab over 10 rebounds since 2005. Thompson finished his career at Pepperdine with 1,413 points, which is 14th best in school history. He also played in a school record 128 games and his 192 three-pointers made in his career was good enough for fourth highest in school history.[3]

Professional career edit

Erie BayHawks (2011) edit

Thompson went undrafted in the 2011 NBA draft. On November 3, 2011, he was selected by the Erie BayHawks in the third round of the 2011 NBA Development League Draft.[5]

Cleveland Cavaliers (2011–2012) edit

On December 9, 2011, Thompson signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.[6] On February 6, 2012, he was waived by the Cavaliers after just five games.[7]

Return to Erie (2012) edit

On February 10, 2012, Thompson was re-acquired by the BayHawks.

In July 2012, Thompson joined the New York Knicks for the 2012 NBA Summer League. On September 11, 2012, he signed with the Knicks.[8] However, he was later waived by the Knicks on October 27, 2012.[9] On November 1, 2012, he was re-acquired by the Erie BayHawks.[10]

Sioux Falls Skyforce (2013) edit

On January 3, 2013, Thompson was traded to the Sioux Falls Skyforce in a three-way trade involving the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and the Erie BayHawks.[11]

Santa Cruz Warriors (2013–2015) edit

In July 2013, Thompson joined the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2013 NBA Summer League. On November 4, 2013, the Sioux Falls Skyforce traded Thompson's rights to the Santa Cruz Warriors.[12] On November 19, 2013, he was acquired by the Warriors.[13]

Santa Cruz is the D-League affiliate of the NBA Golden State Warriors. During this season at Santa Cruz, Thompson played in the back court with Seth Curry. At the same time, their respective brothers Klay and Steph were playing together in the Golden State back court, Correspondingly, Mychel and Seth were dubbed the Splash Brothers of the D-League.[14]

On November 3, 2014, Thompson was reacquired by the Santa Cruz Warriors.[15] On April 26, 2015, he won the D-League championship with the Warriors.[16]

Pallacanestro Varese (2015) edit

On July 16, 2015, Thompson signed with Pallacanestro Varese of Italy.[17] On December 22, he parted ways with Varese after appearing in nine league games and five FIBA Europe Cup games.[18]

Return to Santa Cruz (2016–2017) edit

On February 27, 2016, Thompson was reacquired by Santa Cruz.[19] That night, he made his season debut in a 133–124 loss to the Reno Bighorns, recording 16 points, one rebound and one assist in 23 minutes.[20]

On November 11, 2016, Thompson was reacquired by the Santa Cruz Warriors.[21] Thompson retired from professional basketball in 2018.[22]

International career edit

Thompson played for the Bahamas men's national basketball team during the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup qualification.[23]

NBA career statistics edit

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season edit

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011–12 Cleveland 5 3 19.0 .292 .364 .000 1.0 1.4 .4 .2 3.6
Career 5 3 19.0 .292 .364 .000 1.0 1.4 .4 .2 3.6

References edit

  1. ^ "FIBA.basketball".
  2. ^ "A skilled administrator with zeal to serve". catholicsentinel.org. 2018-07-03. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  3. ^ a b c "Mychel Thompson Bio". PepperdineSports.com. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  4. ^ "Mychel Thompson – Yahoo! Sports". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  5. ^ "BayHawks Add Eight Via Draft". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. November 4, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  6. ^ "Cavaliers Announce 2011-12 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. December 9, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  7. ^ "Cavaliers Waive Mychel Thompson". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 6, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  8. ^ "Knicks Sign Sims, Bellfield, Thompson". HoopsRumors.com. September 11, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  9. ^ "Knicks waive Oscar Bellfield, John Shurna, Mychel Thompson, Henry Sims". InsideHoops.com. October 27, 2012. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  10. ^ "BayHawks Add Nine to Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. November 1, 2012. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  11. ^ "Skyforce Acquires Two Former NBA Players in Three-Team Trade". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  12. ^ "Santa Cruz Warriors Acquire Mychel Thompson from Sioux Falls". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. November 4, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  13. ^ "Santa Cruz Warriors Add Mychel Thompson". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. November 19, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  14. ^ "Meet the SC Splash Brothers". NBADLeague.com. 23 April 2014. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016.
  15. ^ "Santa Cruz Warriors Announce 2014 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. November 3, 2014. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  16. ^ "Title Wave: Santa Cruz Wins NBA D-League Championship". NBA.com. April 26, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  17. ^ "OpenJobMetis Varese officially signs Mychel Thompson". Sportando.com. July 16, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  18. ^ "Pallacanestro Varese, Mychel Thompson officially part ways". Sportando.com. December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  19. ^ "Mychel Thompson Returns to Santa Cruz Warriors". OurSportsCentral.com. February 27, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  20. ^ "Stockton Leads Bighorns Past Warriors". NBA.com. February 27, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  21. ^ "Warriors Acquire Mychel Thompson; Finalize Opening Night Roster". NBA.com. November 11, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  22. ^ "'If You Don't Love It, Why Do It?': How Klay Thompson's Family Made Him a Star". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  23. ^ "Bowleg and Team Bahamas touch down in Puerto Rico".

External links edit