Dallas Mavericks swingman Klay Thompson has gotten candid about his relationship with All-Star teammate Kyrie Irving.
The duo were longtime foes, having faced off on opposing sides during three consecutive NBA Finals between Thompson's Golden State Warriors and Irving's Cleveland Cavaliers, from 2015-17. Irving forced his way off of Cleveland in the summer of 2017, and was traded to the Boston Celtics.
Thompson's Warriors went 2-1 against Irving's Cavaliers in those three series.
From rivals to comrades
Cleveland still advanced to the NBA Finals without him for a fourth straight season, but the team never had much of a prayer against a loaded Warriors team that featured four future Hall of Famers — Thompson, two-time MVP point guard Stephen Curry, one-time MVP forward Kevin Durant, and Defensive Player of the Year forward Draymond Green.
Last summer, with the Mavericks fresh off a Finals appearance and the Warriors having failed to make the playoffs, a free agent Thompson abandoned Golden State to sign on with Dallas. Midway through the 2024-25 season, the Mavericks flipped five-time All-NBA First Team guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package headlined by 10-time All-Star big man Anthony Davis, shooting guard Max Christie, and a future first-round pick in 2029.
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Amid injury issues, Dallas fell into the lottery, where it lucked into the No. 1 pick. The Mavericks selected 18-year-old Duke phenom Cooper Flagg, who may initially be an awkward fit alongside an aging Thompson, Irving, and Davis — all of whom are now injury-prone.
During a new interview with Hall of Fame former Lakers wing Michael Cooper on the 1987 Defensive Player of the Year's "Showtime with Cooper" podcast, Thompson ranked Irving among some lofty NBA company.
Thompson has known Cooper for a good long while.
His father, center Mychal, played alongside Cooper in L.A. from 1987-91, winning a pair of championships in '87 and '88.
Irving is so good, Thompson posited, he ranks among the greatest players Thompson has faced — along with Irving's old Cavaliers comrade LeBron James, Thompson's three-year Warriors teammate LeBron James, and Hall of Fame former Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant.
“And it’s awesome being his teammate now, because we can talk about those things and try to add to our last chapter in the league together — and add to our legacy,” Thompson said of Irving. “We came into the league together — same draft class, 2011 — and I just have great respect for Kyrie. He’s the toughest guy I’ve ever guarded. Put him up there with LeBron [James], KD [Kevin Durant], and Kobe [Bryant] — he’s got no weaknesses in his game.”
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