Klay Thompson once again made history on Christmas Day, with the former Golden State Warriors guard passing Reggie Miller into fifth on the all-time 3-point makes list.
Thompson went 4-of-10 from beyond the arc and had 12 points in the Dallas Mavericks' 105-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, though a bigger concern for the franchise is Luka Doncic's calf strain suffered during the first-half of the six-point defeat.
Former Warriors guard Klay Thompson paid respect to Reggie Miller after passing him in all time 3-point makes
Thompson took to instagram to pay respect to Miller after the game, noting how much the 5x All-Star inspired him as a young player. After leaving Golden State in free agency during the offseason, Thompson took the No. 31 jersey in Dallas in honor of Miller and his career.
However, it was the end of Thompson's statement that drew the most attention, with the 4x champion labelling Miller "the greatest to ever shoot it." Perhaps that's just a flippant comment designed to outline just how high he regards Miller, but it nonetheless drew criticism from Warrior fans who were quick to leap to the defense of Thompson's former splash brother Stephen Curry.
Klay Thompson isn’t Klay without Steph Curry. Corny ass dude pic.twitter.com/zg6l5qjTp9
— ¹⁰ (@HoodiGarland) December 26, 2024
I'm glad Klay is off the Warriors. He was a whole separate problem, and it became quite clear when he came back from the injuries that he was somehow jealous of Curry. Ego will be the death of great things.
— Jim Park🏀🌌 (@Sheridanblog) December 26, 2024
I LOVED pre-injury Klay. He came back as a different, insecure being https://t.co/uiTpHlmzKQ
Curry sits all alone at the top of the most 3-point makes in NBA history, having passed Ray Allen in December 2021 at Madison Square Garden. The 2x MVP now sits over 800 3-point makes ahead of James Harden, with Allen, Damian Lillard and now Thompson rounding out the top five.
The relationship between Thompson and the franchise has been an ongoing topic since even before his departure, but particularly in regard to he and Curry given their history as arguably the best back court in NBA history.
Thompson raised some eyebrows among fans when he revealed prior to his return to Chase Center that he hadn't really spoken to Curry or Draymond Green. Green then revealed that Thompson had ghosted Curry prior to that November game, leading to the cancellation of Curry's pre-game speech that he was supposed to deliver to the Chase Center crowd before the opening tip.
Thompson's latest instagram post is unlikely to have been a direct dig at Curry by any means, but the focus on their relationship means the comments were always going to draw some controversy. The Warriors and Mavericks have split their two meetings at Chase Center already this season, with two more to come in February.