Splash Brothers

• 1. Family Roots And College Paths

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  Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were born into families where basketball was the primary language. Their fathers, Dell Curry and Mychal Thompson, played in the National Basketball Association for many years. Their mothers, Sonya Curry and Julie Thompson, competed as volleyball players during their college careers. Brothers Seth Curry and Mychel Thompson also pursued professional basketball careers. Despite these athletic pedigrees, neither Stephen nor Klay received high recruitment offers from major universities after high school. Virginia Tech asked Stephen to walk on without a scholarship offer. He chose Davidson College instead, a small private institution located in North Carolina. As a sophomore in 2008, he led the Wildcats within one game of the Final Four tournament. The following season, he averaged 28.6 points per game while earning consensus first-team All-American honors. Klay Thompson attended Washington State University, which lacked the reputation of other Pacific-10 schools. Coach Tony Bennett recruited him there despite limited interest from other conference teams. He moved from California to Washington to play his college ball. Thompson became a two-time first-team All-Pac-10 player who led the conference with 21.6 points per game in 2010, 11. He finished his career holding the school record for most three-pointers made, totaling 242.

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• 2. Draft Selections And Early Teaming

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  Golden State selected Stephen Curry with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft. The team already possessed Monta Ellis, another offensive-minded guard standing 6-foot-3. Coach Don Nelson favored small lineups known as Nellie Ball systems. Ellis announced at a media session that he and Curry were too short to play together effectively. Two years later, the Warriors added Klay Thompson as their eleventh overall selection in 2011. The 2011, 12 season shortened to 66 games due to an NBA lockout. Curry missed 40 games because of injuries during that abbreviated campaign. Golden State traded Ellis near the end of the season for center Andrew Bogut. This move opened the shooting guard position for Thompson while allowing Curry to lead the offense. In 2012, 13, they combined to make 483 three-pointers, the highest total ever by an NBA duo. Curry set an NBA record with 272 three-pointers that season. Thompson added 211, which ranked as the 22nd best single-season performance in league history. Warriors coach Mark Jackson called them the greatest shooting backcourt of all time. They advanced to the second round of the playoffs before losing to San Antonio.

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• 3. Shooting Records And Statistical Dominance

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  Curry and Thompson became the first teammates to finish first and second in three-pointers made during the 2013, 14 season. They made 261 and 223 respectively, extending their combined record to 484 shots. Their average output reached 42.4 points per game together. ESPN.com noted no other backcourt rivaled their volume and efficiency combination. During the 2015 playoffs, they became the first players to finish a series with at least 30 three-pointers combined. They made 62 threes against Oklahoma City, exceeding the Thunder's total of 55. In 2016, 17, they became the first two players to make at least 200 three-pointers in five consecutive seasons. Thompson broke Curry's single-game record by hitting 14 threes on the 29th of October 2018, against Chicago. He scored 52 points in just 27 minutes while making 14-of-24 attempts from deep. His 10 three-pointers in the first half tied Chandler Parsons' record set in 2014. Golden State made 17 threes in that half alone, setting an NBA record for a single period. The duo became the only teammates to each score 50 or more points through their team's first eight games of the 2018, 19 season.

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• 4. Championship Runs And Team Success

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  The Warriors won the 2015 NBA Finals, securing their first title in 40 years. Coach Steve Kerr implemented defensive assignments that kept Curry focused on opposing point guards. Thompson finished second in the league with 239 three-pointers that season. They combined to make 525 threes, surpassing their previous record by 41 shots. In 2016, 17, they reached the Western Conference Finals again. Game 6 against Houston saw them overcome a 17-point deficit to win 115, 86. Thompson scored 35 points and shot 9-of-14 from three-point range during that comeback. The following year, they lost the finals to Toronto after Thompson tore his anterior cruciate ligament near the end of Game 6. He missed the entire 2019, 20 season rehabilitating that injury. Curry broke his left hand in October 2020 and played only five games that year. Thompson tore his right Achilles tendon in November 2020 while playing pickup basketball. He returned for the 2021, 22 season, playing 32 regular-season games. Golden State defeated Boston in six games to win their fourth championship together. Curry won the Finals MVP award unanimously.

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• 5. The Splash Brothers Moniker Origin

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  Brian Witt, a writer for the Warriors website, coined the term Splash Brothers on the 21st of December 2012. He posted an update on the team's Twitter account regarding their performance against Charlotte Bobcats. By halftime, Curry and Thompson had combined for 25 points and seven three-pointers. Witt used the hashtag #SplashBrothers to describe their shooting display. Golden State would win the game 115, 100. The organization liked the nickname and encouraged Witt to continue using it. The phrase refers to the duo's ability to splash the net with the ball, particularly on three-point shots. It serves as a play on the Bash Brothers nickname given to baseball players Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire. They played together for the Oakland Athletics during the late 1980s. Fans and media quickly adopted the new moniker to describe Curry and Thompson's unique shooting prowess.

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