Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are amidst their 12th NBA season as a trio. The trio has achieved great heights together, including four NBA championships and six finals appearances. They have combined for 18 All-Star appearances and 13 All-NBA selections. Among current players, Curry, Thompson and Green are the three longest-tenured NBA players to their current team. While they continue building on their collective legacies, they have also reflected on their unique run and what makes each component great.
"It's special because we are all different. We all express ourselves differently. We have different games, different personalities, different ways to communicate, but they all mesh, and there's seamlessness when we're out there on the floor,” Curry said. “We all came in from different backgrounds; we made the Bay our home and grew up in this league together. What we’ve accomplished individually and collectively, the culture we’ve built is special.”
Green shared a similar sentiment.
“We created an unbreakable bond," Green said. "It’s a brotherhood that will last far beyond our playing days. We’ve done some things that’ll connect us for life and became who we are together.”
STEPHEN CURRY
Stephen Curry was the first of the trio to join the Warriors, drafted seventh overall in the 2009 NBA Draft. He played two seasons before Klay Thompson entered the league and only played 26 games with his Splash Brother in Thompson's rookie campaign. Curry made his first All-Star team in Draymond Green's second season and won consecutive MVP awards in the following two seasons. Curry is the Warriors' franchise leader in points, assists, field goals made, 3-pointers made, steals, games played, minutes played and All-NBA selections (9).
“If I had to pick one word [to describe Stephen Curry], it would be selfless,” Thompson said. “The way he plays the game has great flow. He doesn’t dominate the ball even though he could. He’s the engine that makes us go. He just wants what’s best for the team.”
Green complimented a signature Curry trait that’s beneficial both on and off the court.
“A word I’d use to describe Steph as a player and person is humility,” Green said. “The attention he draws and is willing to give the ball up. How much he’s doing just to get someone else a look, moving without the ball. He plays so loosely and freely. What makes him a great person makes him a great basketball player.”
KLAY THOMPSON
Klay Thompson was drafted with the 11th pick of the 2011 draft and has donned the number 11 for the Warriors ever since. Thompson is a five-time All-Star who has made two All-NBA teams and an All-Defensive team with the Dubs. He holds several NBA records, including the most made 3-pointers in a game (14), the most points in an NBA quarter (37) and the fewest minutes played in a 60-point game (29). Thompson has shared the backcourt with Stephen Curry for his entire NBA career and Draymond Green joined the team in his sophomore season.
"He’s [Thompson] relentless,” Curry said. “He shows up and makes an impact every time he’s on the floor. You love it when he’s locked in on both ends of the floor. Not too many two guards that have done it on both ends with skill like he has.”
While the many sides of Thompson (i.e. China Klay, Game 6 Klay, Captain Klay, etc.) have become well documented, Green pointed out a trait that might go unnoticed by even some of Thompson’s biggest fans.
“Klay might be more competitive than me," Green said. "It’s all fuel for getting out there on that court and competing. I think it’s one of the most undervalued/misunderstood things about him."
DRAYMOND GREEN
The year that Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson made their first playoff appearance coincided with Draymond Green's first season with the Warriors (2012-13). The Warriors drafted Green with the 35th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, a pick Thompson refers to as "one of the greatest draft success stories of the past 20 years." Green is a four-time All-Star with the Dubs, won the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2017 and has been named to a franchise record eight All-Defensive teams. He is also the franchise leader in defensive rebounds and triple-doubles.
“[Draymond Green] is the smartest basketball player I've ever played with,” Curry said. “He can execute the angle of the pass, speed of the pass, timing of the pass, whatever it is – he's a master at it.”
Thompson complimented the all-around game that Green has brought to the Dubs for over a decade.
“He’s Mr. Everything. He rebounds, he guards five positions, he hits the open man,” Thompson said. “As much as Steph changed the game from the point guard position, Draymond has also changed the game with what a modern-day power forward looks like.”
The date of Thursday’s game against the Clippers – 11/30/23 – coincides with the jersey numbers of Thompson (11), Curry (30), and Green (23). All fans in attendance will receive a commemorative patch featuring the league's longest-tenured trio, courtesy of Avery Dennison.