They have been Warriors teammates for 10 seasons, lockermates for most of that time. Their lifestyles contrast, one family man, the other a relatively carefree bachelor. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson don’t have much in common.
But what they share is priceless and they seem to know that.
“A lot of that is just our personalities,” said Curry on Saturday after the Warriors’ victory over the Detroit Pistons at the Chase Center. “We really love the game. We love and appreciate what we both do – Draymond [Green] included – what we all bring to the equation, how different we are.
“But we have the same common goal of just trying to win. And we all find an identity in that, an appreciation of who we are as people too. Everything kind of mixes up. “
The Curry-Thompson chemistry was visible on Saturday night, when Thompson conducted a post-game interview (to use the word lightly) with Curry after the Golden State crushed Detroit.
Set aside after surgery on the Achilles tendon, Thompson was on the scene as a temporary correspondent for the NBC Sports Bay Area. He spent a quarter with announcers Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike and then was assigned the main assignment to interview Curry.
They were laughing before a question was asked.
Thompson: “Steph, what’s going on, man? I haven’t seen you in a while. “
Curry laughing: “What’s up, man?”
When Thompson asked Curry about being caught off guard and hit on the head by a Draymond Green pass – a really funny sight – Curry responded by saying that this happens with the high volume of passes that the Warriors make. Thompson agreed.
“We call it a ‘ballhead’,” said Curry. “I have ‘Spalding’ right here on the side of my forehead.”
They continued for another minute or so, with Thompson asking Curry to predict when he will overtake Ray Allen and become the all-time leader in the 3-point take. Thompson also asked Curry which of his parents is the best color commentator, Dell Curry with Charlotte Hornets or Mychal Thompson with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Said that Saturday was Mychal’s birthday, Curry shouted a “Happy Birthday”, but chose his father, much to the chagrin of Thompson, who tore off his headset and went down the stairs … to bump into Curry on his way out of block.
They never stopped smiling, except to laugh, and then walked side by side towards the locker room.
This is not Kyrie Irving and LeBron James winning a championship in Cleveland and having an uncomfortable split a year later. It’s not James Harden and the revolving door of stars that the Houston Rockets brought, looking for and failing to find the right complement. This is not the sometimes uncomfortable alliance of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in Philadelphia, or the dynamics of Chris Paul-Blake Griffin that led to the collapse of the Los Angeles Clippers a few years ago.
Curry and Thompson are more like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen – but with a significantly heavier accent on humor. Often.
“I don’t think he knows how funny he is,” said Curry, the team’s No. 1 prankster, about his colleague Splash Brother. “This is the best part about it. It’s just who he is. He’s not even trying. “
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All that joy comes easier with the success the Warriors had and the roles that Curry and Thompson played in it. Curry is six times All-Star and Thompson has made five All-Star teams. They went to five consecutive NBA finals, winning three.
And neither cast a subtle shadow on the other, much less attempted to force a separation.
“Sometimes we get sick of each other,” admitted Curry. “And it’s good to be gone and all those normal healthy relationships.
“But at the end of the day, this is the chemistry we have built and the identity we have built over the years. And when you win at the highest level, obviously, they get stronger. I feel blessed to have this vibe and then bring other guys into the mix who can live with that too. It is very incredible. “