The Splash Brothers are a duo of American
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
players consisting of
Stephen Curry
Wardell Stephen Curry II ( ; born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, ...
and
Klay Thompson
Klay Alexander Thompson (born February 8, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A four-time NBA champion with the Warriors, he is a five-time NBA All-Star ...
. The two
guard
Guard or guards may refer to:
Professional occupations
* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
* Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
* Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
* Prison ...
s play professionally for the
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...
in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
(NBA). Considered among the greatest shooters in NBA history, and one of the greatest backcourts of all time,
they have combined to set various NBA records for
three-point field goal
A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two poi ...
s by a pair of teammates, and each has won the
Three-Point Contest
The Three-Point Contest is a National Basketball Association (NBA) contest held on the Saturday before the annual All-Star Game as part of All-Star Weekend.
The 2019 iteration of the contest involved ten participants. From its introduction in 19 ...
. They are
NBA All-Star
The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of al ...
s and together have won four
NBA championships
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...
and appeared in six
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...
with the Warriors.
The sons of former NBA players, neither Curry nor Thompson were highly
recruited out of high school, but enjoyed relatively successful
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
careers before being selected in the first round of the
NBA draft by the Warriors. Curry was chosen with the seventh overall pick in
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, while Thompson was the eleventh overall selection in
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
. In 2014β15, they became the first teammates in the league to be the
starting guards in the same All-Star Game since 1975, and they were the Warriors' first pair of All-Stars since 1993. They also became the first guard combo to be named to the
All-NBA Team
The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sele ...
in the same season since 1979β80. The two also enjoyed team success, helping the Warriors win the
2015 NBA Finals
The 2015 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2014β15 season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference
champion Golden State Warriors defeated the Eastern Confe ...
for the team's first title in 40 years. They would later replicate the feat in 2017, 2018, and 2022 for four championships. Additionally, they were teammates on the
United States national team
The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions.
Olympic teams
Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...
in 2014, winning the gold medal at the
FIBA Basketball World Cup
The FIBA Basketball World Cup, also known as the FIBA World Cup of Basketball or simply the FIBA World Cup, between 1950 and 2010 known as the FIBA World Championship, is an international basketball competition contested by the senior men's nat ...
.
Background
Stephen Curry
Wardell Stephen Curry II ( ; born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, ...
and
Klay Thompson
Klay Alexander Thompson (born February 8, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A four-time NBA champion with the Warriors, he is a five-time NBA All-Star ...
were both born into athletic families. Their fathers,
Dell Curry
Wardell Stephen Curry (born June 25, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1986 until 2002 and retired as the Charlotte Hornets' all-time leader in points (9,839) ...
and
Mychal Thompson
Mychal George Thompson (born January 30, 1955) is a Bahamian-American former basketball player. The top overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Thompson played the center position for the University of Minnesota and center and forward for the Nati ...
, each had productive NBA careers, while mothers
Sonya Curry
Sonya Alicia Curry (nΓ©e Adams; born May 30, 1966) is an American educator. She is the mother of basketball players Stephen Curry and Seth Curry.
Early life
Sonya Alicia Adams was born in Radford, Virginia, to Cleive and Candy Adams. They liv ...
and Julie Thompson were both
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
players in college. Their brothers,
Seth Curry
Seth Adham Curry (born August 23, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one year at Liberty University before transferring to Duke. ...
and
Mychel Thompson
Mychel Thompson (born June 1, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Pepperdine University.
Early life
Thompson was born on June 1, 1988, in Los Angeles, California to Mychal and Julie Thompso ...
, also became basketball players.
However, neither Stephen nor Klay were highly
recruited by
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
programs.
[
Curry did not receive ]athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the United Stat ...
offers from any major universities, and his parents' alma mater, Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...
, asked him to be a walk-on
Walk On may refer to:
Music
* ''Walk On'', a 1994 album by Boston, and its title song
Albums
* ''Walk On'' (Boston album), 1994
* ''Walk On'' (John Hiatt album), 1995
* ''Walk On'' (Randy Johnston album), 1992
*''Walk On'', a 2007 album by ...
. He landed at a mid-major
Mid-major is a term used in American NCAA Division I college sports, particularly men's basketball, to refer to athletic conferences that are not among the "Power Five conferences" (the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC), which are alternativ ...
basketball program in Davidson College
Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowanβ ...
, a small private school in North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
.[ As a sophomore, Curry's scoring and three-point shooting developed a national following as he led the ]Wildcats
The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...
within a game of the Final Four in the 2008 NCAA Tournament
The 2008 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007β08 basketball ...
.[ The following season, he was a consensus first-team All-American and led the nation in scoring with an average of 28.6 points per game.]
Thompson played at Washington State University
Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant unive ...
, which was not considered a basketball powerhouse.[ Recruited there by coach ]Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birth ...
, he was only lightly recruited by the other Pacific-10 (now Pac-12
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...
) schools, prompting him to move from California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
to Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
.[ Thompson became a two-time, first-team All-Pac-10 player, and led the conference in scoring with 21.6 points per game in ]2010β11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
. He finished his Cougars
The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. I ...
career holding the school record for most career three-pointers (242).
Golden State Warriors
Golden State selected the Curry in the first round of the 2009 NBA draft
The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eli ...
with the seventh overall pick. Although the Warriors already had another lean, 6-foot-3, offensive-minded guard in Monta Ellis
Monta Ellis ( ; born October 26, 1985) is a former American professional basketball player. Ellis attended Lanier High School in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was a McDonald's All-American and first-team ''Parade'' All-American. He entered the ...
, coach Don Nelson
Donald Arvid Nelson (born May 15, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335 (he held the record for most wins for almost 12 ...
had a penchant for using small lineups in his Nellie Ball
Nellie Ball is an offensive strategy in basketball developed by NBA head coach Don "Nellie" Nelson. It is a fast-paced run-and-gun offense relying on smaller, more athletic players who can create mismatches by outrunning their opponents. A true c ...
system, and had warmed to the idea of selecting Curry. However, Ellis announced at a media session that he and Curry were too small to play together.[ Two years later, while Curry and Ellis were still adjusting to each other, the Warriors added another scoring ]guard
Guard or guards may refer to:
Professional occupations
* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
* Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
* Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
* Prison ...
in the Thompson, who they drafted in the first round with the 11th overall pick in 2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
.[ Curry and Thompson had limited time together in their first year as teammates; the 2011β12 season was shortened to 66 games because of the NBA lockout, and Curry missed 40 games due to injuries.][ Towards the end of the season, Golden State traded the fan-favorite Ellis in a deal for ]center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
Andrew Bogut
Andrew Michael Bogut (born 28 November 1984) is an Australian former basketball player who spent the majority of his professional career playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The tall center was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks ...
, leaving Curry to lead the team and opening the shooting guard
The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"β6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...
position to Thompson, who provided needed size to their backcourt.[
In ]2012β13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
, Curry and Thompson combined to make 483 three-pointers, the most ever by an NBA duo. Curry set an NBA record with 272 three-pointers, while Thompson added 211, at the time the 22nd best season in league history. Warriors coach Mark Jackson
Mark A. Jackson (born April 1, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player. A point guard from St. John's University, he played for the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors, Utah ...
opined that the tandem was "the greatest shooting backcourt of all time". Golden State advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs before losing to the eventual Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...
. Curry and Thompson in 2013β14 became the first teammates to finish first and second in three-pointers, making 261 and 223, respectively. They also extended their combined three-pointer record by one (484), and together averaged 42.4 points per game. With Curry making 42.4 percent of his three-point attempts and Thompson converting 41.7 percent, ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including: ...
wrote that "no backcourt in history has rivaled the Splash Brothers in both categories of 3-point volume and efficiency." During the offseason, they were both members of the 2014 U.S. national team that won the gold at FIBA World Cup.[ The two combined to make more three-pointers than any other duo in the tournament, accounting for 43 of Team USA's 77 threes in 13 games.] Thompson established himself as a star in the international competition, and emerged more as Curry's peer rather than his sidekick. He was the second-leading scorer for Team USA, averaging 12.7 points, while Curry added 10.7.
Prior to the 2014β15 season, the Warriors considered breaking up the pair and trading Thompson for forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
Kevin Love
Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time All-Star, a two-time member of the All-NBA Second Team and ...
, but kept their starting backcourt intact by signing Thompson to a four-year, $70 million contract extension. That season, Curry and Thompson each scored 50 points in a game, just the seventh time it had occurred on the same team in an NBA season, and the first time since 1994β95. They both started in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game
The 2015 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 15, 2015, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2014β15 season. It was the 64th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at Madison S ...
, becoming the first teammates to be the starting guards in an All-Star Game since 1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
. Curry received the most All-Star fan votes of any player for his second straight All-Star start. Coming off NBA single-quarter records of 37 points and nine three-pointers during a 52-point game in January, Thompson was making his All-Star debut. He was voted onto the team as a reserve by Western Conference coaches before being named as a replacement starter by West coach Steve Kerr
Stephen Douglas Kerr (born September 27, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a nine-time NBA champion, havi ...
, who had become the Warriors coach that season. The Splash Brothers were the Warriors' first All-Star duo since Tim Hardaway
Timothy Duane Hardaway Sr. (born September 1, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player. Hardaway played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets a ...
and Chris Mullin
Christopher Paul Mullin (born July 30, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player, executive and coach. He is a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and a two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee (in 2010 as a memb ...
in 1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the IsraeliβPalestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
, and the franchise's first pair of starters in the All-Star game since Rick Barry
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944) is an American retired professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the ...
and Nate Thurmond
Nathaniel Thurmond (July 25, 1941 β July 16, 2016) was an American basketball player who spent the majority of his 14-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Golden State Warriors franchise. He played the center and po ...
in 1967
Events
January
* January 1 β Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
.[ During All-Star Weekend, Curry and Thompson also competed in the ]Three-Point Contest
The Three-Point Contest is a National Basketball Association (NBA) contest held on the Saturday before the annual All-Star Game as part of All-Star Weekend.
The 2019 iteration of the contest involved ten participants. From its introduction in 19 ...
, which was widely considered to have the greatest field of contestants in the event's history.[ They both advanced to the three-man final round before Curry won the contest.
The Warriors finished Kerr's first season with a league-best 67β15 record, the most wins ever by an NBA rookie coach, and won the ]2015 NBA Finals
The 2015 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2014β15 season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference
champion Golden State Warriors defeated the Eastern Confe ...
for their first title in 40 years. Curry captured the NBA Most Valuable Player Award
The National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955β56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. Starting with the 2022β23 ...
. Kerr had Curry guard opposing point guard
The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...
s, which Curry credited with keeping him more focused; Jackson had previously assigned that defensive responsibility to the taller Thompson. Additionally, Curry broke his own record for three-pointers (286), and Thompson again finished second in the league (239) as the two combined to make 525 threes, surpassing their previous record by 41 while converting 44 percent of their shots. They were both named to the All-NBA Team
The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sele ...
, with Curry being named to the first team, and Thompson earning third-team honors. It was the first time Warriors teammates were named All-NBA in the same season since Mullin (first team) and Hardaway (second) were recognized in 1991β92. Curry and Thompson were the first backcourt mates to be selected All-NBA since 1979β80, when Gus Williams and Dennis Johnson
Dennis Wayne Johnson (September 18, 1954 β February 22, 2007), nicknamed "DJ", was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns, and Boston Celtics. He was a c ...
of Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
were both named to the second team.
In honor of their 2015 championship, Golden State visited the White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
in February 2016, and President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
opined that Thompson's jump shot was "actually a little prettier" than Curry's. The Warriors entered the All-Star break in 2015β16 with a 48β4 record, the best start in NBA history. Curry was voted into the All-Star Game as a starter, and Thompson was selected as a reserve along with teammate Draymond Green
Draymond Jamal Green Sr. (born March 4, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Green, who plays primarily at the Power forward (basketball), power forward ...
. Curry was averaging a league-leading 29.8 points per game, and both he and Thompson were again 1β2 in the league in three-pointers made.[ They were again selected to compete in the Three-Point Contest, and Curry was a heavy favorite to win; the betting site, Bovada, listed Curry as the favorite to win with 10β11 ]odds
Odds provide a measure of the likelihood of a particular outcome. They are calculated as the ratio of the number of events that produce that outcome to the number that do not. Odds are commonly used in gambling and statistics.
Odds also have ...
, while Thompson was second at 9β2. Once more, the two advanced to the final round, but Thompson prevailed while Curry was the runner-up, outscoring him 27β23.
With 24 games remaining in the season, Curry again surpassed his NBA record for three-pointers, reaching 288 against the Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...
in a 121β118 win. He also tied an NBA record with 12 three-pointers in the game, including the game-winner from beyond in the last second in overtime. Curry and Thompson broke their combined record for three-pointers in a season after just 66 games, when the Warriors (60β6) became the fastest team in league history to ever reach 60 wins in a season. Golden State finished the season with an NBA-record 73 wins. Curry finished the season with 402 three-point shots made, and Thompson was second with 276. Their combined total of 678 shattered their previous record by 153 shots. They were also the highest-scoring duo in the NBA with an average of 52.2 points per game. In the playoffs, the Warriors rallied from a 3β1 deficit in the Western Conference Finals to defeat Oklahoma City, 4β3.[ Thompson scored 41 points and made an NBA playoff record 11 three-pointers in Game 6,][ and the Splash Brothers were the first NBA players to finish with at least 30 three-pointers in a playoff series. Their 62 combined makes exceeded the Thunders' series total of 55.
In 2016β17, Curry and Thompson became the first two players in NBA history to make at least 200 three-pointers in five consecutive seasons. Curry broke the NBA record for most three-pointers made in a single game with 13, breaking the previous of 12 he held jointly with ]Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 β January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely r ...
and Donyell Marshall
Donyell Lamar Marshall (born May 18, 1973) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He's currently an assistant coach for the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League. During his National Basketball Association (NBA) career, ...
. In 2017β18, the duo each made 200 three-pointers again to extend their record for consecutive seasons with 200 made. In Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals against Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, Thompson scored 35 points and shot 9-of-14 on three-pointers and Curry added 29 points and five 3's to help the Warriors overcome a 17-point deficit and win 115β86, staving off elimination and tying the series at 3β3. The Splash Brothers outscored the Rockets 37β25 in the second half while shooting 11-of-15 on three-pointers.
All-Star center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
DeMarcus Cousins
DeMarcus Amir Cousins (born August 13, 1990) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Boogie", he played college basketball for the Kentucky Wild ...
joined the Warriors in 2018β19. While teammates with Curry and Thompson on the 2014 US FIBA Basketball World Cup team, he had joked that he was the third Splash Brother. At the time, he had made nine of his 61 three-point attempts (14.8%) in his four-year career, but had improved to 35.1 percent in the four years since. On October 29, 2018, against the Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...
, Thompson hit an NBA-record 14 threes to break Curry's former mark of 13. Thompson scored 52 points in 27 minutes while making 14-for-24 of his threes. His 10 three-pointers in the first half tied Chandler Parsons
Chandler Evan Parsons (born October 25, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Florida and was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the 38th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft ...
' record set in 2014, and Golden State made 17 threes in the first half to set the NBA record for a half. With Curry having already scored 51 points in a game earlier in 2018β19, the Splash Brothers became the first NBA teammates to have each scored 50 or more points in a contest through their team's first eight games. In the 2019 playoffs, the Warriors eliminated the Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
in the first round 4β2, but both Curry and Thompson suffered sprained ankles in Game 6, and they were questionable entering Game 1 of the conference semifinals against Houston. The series was tied 2β2 after four games, and the Splash Brothers were struggling with their 3-point shooting, combining to miss at least two-thirds of their attempts in five straight games, the longest streak in their postseason history. With the two struggling with their shooting, Kevin Durant
Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for t ...
had been the Warriors best player in the playoffs, averaging a team-leading 35.4 points entering Game 5. However, Durant left the game with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter after suffering a strained right calf;[ he was later ruled out indefinitely. Curry led the Golden State to a Game 5 win after scoring 16 of his 25 points after Durant exited, while Thompson had seven of his 27 during that stretch.] The Warriors captured the series on the road in Game 6, when Thompson scored 21 of his 27 in the first half, and Curry collected all of his 33 points in the second half. Golden State lost 4β2 in the 2019 finals against the Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...
. Already without Durant, who returned and tore his Achilles in Game 5, the Warriors lost Thompson near the end of the third quarter of the deciding Game 6 after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...
in his left knee.
Golden State finished with a league-worst 15β50 record in 2019β20. Thompson missed the entire season rehabilitating his injury, and Curry was limited to five games all season after breaking his left hand in October. The Warriors' season ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. In November 2020, Thompson tore his right Achilles tendon while playing a pickup game
In sports and video games, a pick-up game (also known as a ''scratch game'' or ''PUG'') is a game that has been spontaneously started by a group of players. Players are generally invited to show up beforehand, but unlike exhibition games there is ...
and was ruled out for the 2020β21 season. Curry won his second Three-Point Contest in 2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'Γ©tat, coup d'Γ©tat; A civil demonstration against the OctoberβNovember 2021 ...
and dedicated the win to the recovering Thompson.
During the 2021β22, Thompson returned to play in 32 regular season games, and Curry became the NBA career leader in 3-pointers.[ Fellow guard ]Jordan Poole
Jordan Anthony Poole (born June 19, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended Rufus King High School in Milwaukee and La Lumiere School in La Porte, ...
emerged as a starter for the team and his success in three-point shooting led some media writers to call him the "Third Splash Brother". His three-point shooting attracted much attention, with teammates comparing Poole to Curry; Thompson called Poole a "baby Steph Curry", while Green stated Poole was doing "his best impression" of Curry. Golden State advanced to the 2022 finals, returning to the series after their fifth-straight appearance in 2019. They defeated the Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
in six games, with Curry winning Finals MVP.
Nickname
The ''Splash Brothers'' nickname refers to the duo's ability to "splash" the net with the ball, particularly on three-point shots,[ and is a play on an older nickname for another pair of ]San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
teammates, baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
players Jose Canseco
JosΓ© Canseco Capas Jr. (born July 2, 1964), nicknamed Parkway Jose, Mr. 40-40 and El CaΓ±onero Cubano (The Cuban Cannon), is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and designated hitter. During his time with the Oaklan ...
and Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire (born October 1, 1963), nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 2001 for the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardi ...
, who were known as the Bash Brothers
The Bash Brothers are a duo of former baseball players consisting of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire. Both prolific home run hitters, the two were teammates in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seven seasons with the Oakland Athletics, helping the t ...
when they played for the Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
.[ The term began in 2012 in a tweet from Brian Witt, a writer for the Warriors website. On December 21 against the ]Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populous ...
, Curry and Thompson had combined for 25 points and seven 3-pointers by halftime, when Witt posted an update of their performance on the team's Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
account with a ''#SplashBrothers'' hashtag
A hashtag is a metadata tag that is prefaced by the hash (also known as pound or octothorpe) sign, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services such as Twitter or Instagram as a form of user-generated ...
; Golden State would win the game 115β100.[ The Warriors liked the nickname, and encouraged Witt to continue tweeting it.][
]
See also
* Death Lineup
The Death Lineup was a lineup of basketball players on the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2014 to 2019. Developed under head coach Steve Kerr, it began during their 2014β15 run that led to an NBA champi ...
* Run TMC
Run(s) or RUN may refer to:
Places
* Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia
* Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant
People
* Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...
Notes
References
{{Golden State Warriors
Nicknamed groups of NBA players
*