Klay Thompson to be joined by Warriors teammate Curry at WSU jersey retirement Saturday – FOX 28 Spokane

Posted: January 16, 2020 at 2:42 pm

PULLMAN, Wash. As one Splash Brother gets honored by his alma mater this weekend in Pullman, it would only be fitting that the other Splash Brother was in attendance.

Former Washington State basketball star Klay Thompson is set to have his jersey retired at the Cougars game this Saturday against Oregon State at 1 p.m., with his current Golden State Warriors teammate Stephen Curry attending as well.

WSU announced the news back in the fall, and is now set to officially retire Thompsons No. 1 jersey in a ceremony at Beasley Coliseum during halftime.

Klays impact not only as a student-athlete at Washington State but also as a three-time World Champion with the Golden State Warriors is most deserving of this recognition, Washington State Director of Athletics Pat Chun. There has only been one basketball jersey retired in WSU history and on Jan. 18 we will add another as the Klay Thompson No. 1 will take its rightful place in WSU immortality. We appreciate how Klay has continued to represent the Cougars globally and we look forward to celebrating his many accomplishments at home in Pullman.

Joining Klay for the ceremony will be a teammate he has won those three NBA titles with, the two-time MVP Curry, considered one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. Curry and Thompson have combined for 11 All-Star appearances and are commonly referred to as the Splash Brothers for their elite three-point shooting.

Its really cool, Thompson told ESPN of Currys attending. Weve been through a lot of highs together. A lot of lows. Weve played at the highest level of the game as far as the NBA Finals and international competition. And hes been my longest-tenured teammate, so I appreciate him coming. One day maybe Ill make it out to Davidson, too, if he got to go get that degree.

According to reports, several of Thompsons current and former Warrior teammates as well as head coach Steve Kerr would have also planned to attend, but the Warriors have a game Saturday in San Francisco. Former Warriors center Zaza Pachulia is expected to attend the ceremony in Pullman.

Klay, congratulations on this incredible honor, getting your jersey honored at Washington State is so fitting, Kerr said in a video posted by the WSU Cougars Twitter account this week. Youve done so much for that school and of course so much for the Warriors as well. But I just want to say what a thrill it is to coach you, what a joy it is to see you every day and I know the impact youve made with our franchise here. Everybody at Washington State obviously knows exactly what youve meant to that university. So congrats, nobody deserves this more.

Thompson is unlikely to play this NBA season after suffering a torn ACL during the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. Curry has been recovering from a broken hand.

In just three seasons, Thompson became WSUs third all-time leading scorer, averaging 17.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game, while draining a school-record 242 3-pointers. He was the 11th overall pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 2011 NBA Draft, becoming just the second Cougar to be chosen in the first round.

As a Cougar, Thompson earned Pacific-10 Conference honors all three seasons at WSU, all-freshman accolades as a rookie and First-Team All-Pac-10 as both a sophomore and junior. As a junior, Thompson led the Pac-10 and ranked 11th in the nation in scoring with 21.6 points per game, while also leading the league in 3-pointers made (98) as he broke four WSU single-season records, including points (733), and 3-point field goals.

Im really excited, Thompson told ESPN. I havent been back in about five years, so to go back and see the people I really grew up with, and the community that really embraced me. Its very nostalgic and its just really cool, because [having my jersey retired] was a dream of mine leaving Pullman. I didnt think it would ever come true. And it did, so its exciting.

Over 500 tickets are still available as of 7 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to WSU Athletics.

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Klay Thompson to be joined by Warriors teammate Curry at WSU jersey retirement Saturday - FOX 28 Spokane

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