Mychel Thompson
Mychel Thompson | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 1, 1988 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Former professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2011–2018 |
| Known for | Basketball career with Pepperdine Waves, Cleveland Cavaliers, and various NBA Development League teams |
Mychel Thompson (born June 1, 1988) is a former professional basketball athlete with dual Bahamian and American nationality. He competed at the collegiate level for the Pepperdine Waves. Basketball talent runs in his family; his father, Mychal Thompson, and brother, Klay Thompson, are both basketball players, while his youngest sibling, Trayce Thompson, pursued a career in Major League Baseball.
Early life
Born on June 1, 1988, in Los Angeles, California, Mychel is the son of Mychal and Julie Thompson. His father, Mychal Thompson, was selected first overall in the 1978 NBA draft and enjoyed a 14-year tenure in the NBA with teams including the Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, and San Antonio Spurs. Additionally, he played professionally in Italy for Juvecaserta Basket.
Mychel's younger brother, Klay, played collegiate basketball at Washington State University before being chosen in the first round of the 2011 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. The youngest brother, Trayce, entered professional baseball after being picked in the second round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox. The family was raised practicing Catholicism.
During his high school years, Mychel played basketball for two seasons at Jesuit High School in Portland before transferring to Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. He then spent a postgraduate year at Stoneridge Prep in Simi Valley, California, where he averaged 4.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per contest.
College career
Ranked as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com and positioned as the 91st-best fifth-year player by Hoop Scoop Online, Thompson committed to Pepperdine University on November 9, 2006. In his freshman year, he started in 24 out of 32 games and averaged 8.1 points alongside 2.7 rebounds per game. He led his team in both three-point field goals made (56) and three-point shooting percentage (37.3%), successfully making at least one three-pointer in 30 contests. His top scoring performance that season was a 22-point game against Northern Arizona University.
As a sophomore, Thompson started 30 of 32 games, increasing his averages to 9.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while tying for team lead with 35 three-pointers made. He achieved a season-high of 25 points during the opening game against California State University, Monterey Bay.
In his junior campaign, he posted averages of 11.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and received an All–West Coast Conference honorable mention. For the third year running, he led Pepperdine with 48 made three-pointers. He equaled his personal best scoring mark of 25 points versus the Utah Utes and earned Co–WCC Player of the Week honors after delivering a 22-point performance featuring six three-pointers against the Loyola Marymount Lions.
During his senior season, Thompson topped Pepperdine’s charts with averages of 14.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while setting a fourth consecutive team-high with 53 three-pointers made. He again secured All–WCC honorable mention recognition and recorded a career-high scoring output of 34 points against the Nevada Wolf Pack. On February 2, 2011, he posted a double-double with 31 points and 10 rebounds against the San Francisco Dons, marking Pepperdine’s first such achievement since 2005. Concluding his collegiate career, Thompson amassed a total of 1,413 points—ranking fourteenth all-time at Pepperdine—appeared in a school-record 128 games, and placed fourth in career three-pointers made with 192.
Erie BayHawks (2011)
After going undrafted in the 2011 NBA draft, Thompson was picked in the third round of the 2011 NBA Development League Draft by the Erie BayHawks on November 3, 2011.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2011–2012)
Thompson signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers on December 9, 2011. He took part in five games before being released on February 6, 2012.
Return to Erie (2012)
On February 10, 2012, Thompson returned to play for the Erie BayHawks. That summer, he joined the New York Knicks for the 2012 NBA Summer League and subsequently signed with them on September 11. However, he was waived on October 27 and rejoined Erie on November 1, 2012.
Sioux Falls Skyforce (2013)
Thompson was traded to the Sioux Falls Skyforce on January 3, 2013, as part of a three-team transaction involving the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Erie BayHawks.
Santa Cruz Warriors (2013–2015)
In July 2013, Thompson participated in the NBA Summer League with the Minnesota Timberwolves. On November 4, his player rights were transferred from Sioux Falls to the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s affiliate in the D-League.
During his tenure at Santa Cruz, Thompson played alongside Seth Curry; their brothers Klay and Steph Curry were prominent teammates with Golden State in the NBA. This unique connection led to Mychel and Seth being dubbed the D-League's "Splash Brothers."
Thompson was reacquired by Santa Cruz on November 3, 2014, and played a key role in securing the D-League championship on April 26, 2015.
Pallacanestro Varese (2015)
On July 16, 2015, Thompson inked a deal with Pallacanestro Varese in Italy. He parted ways with Varese on December 22 after competing in nine league matches and five FIBA Europe Cup contests.
Return to Santa Cruz (2016–2017)
Thompson rejoined Santa Cruz on February 27, 2016, making his return debut that evening by scoring 16 points along with one rebound and one assist in a 133–124 defeat against the Reno Bighorns. He was again reacquired by Santa Cruz on November 11, 2016. Thompson concluded his professional basketball career in 2018.
International career
Thompson competed for the Bahamas men's national basketball team during the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup qualification tournament.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 5 || 3 || 19.0 || .292 || .364 || .000 || 1.0 || 1.4 || .4 || .2 || 3.6 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 5 || 3 || 19.0 || .292 || .364 || .000 || 1.0 || 1.4 || .4 || .2 || 3.6