Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are widely recognized as one of the best backcourt duos in NBA history, with their championships and stats speaking for themselves. However, few are aware of the struggles they faced before reaching the NBA. While Curry’s journey to Davidson College is better known, the story of Klay Thompson’s college recruitment has largely remained untold.

During an appearance on the Raising Fame podcast hosted by Lucille O’Neal and Sonya Curry, Los Angeles Lakers legend Mychal Thompson revealed the challenges both Klay and Stephen Curry faced during their college recruitment. He explained how both stars were initially overlooked due to their physical appearance and size.

Mychal Thompson recounted how Stephen Curry was initially rejected by major colleges, including Duke and Virginia Tech, due to his size. “Klay and Steph have a lot in common because nobody wanted Steph because he was too small. Schools didn’t come after Steph.”Eventually, Davidson College saw his potential, paving the way for his legendary career.

Klay faced similar challenges in high school, according to Thompson Sr. Colleges in Southern California didn’t see him as a top-tier recruit, with many comparing him to a “small school player” rather than a Duke or North Carolina prospect.

“When Klay was coming out of high school, nobody really wanted him. I mean called a couple of schools here in Southern California. ‘Well, you know, not really, he is a nice young player but we just don’t see it cause’ he was very skinny.’ He made Reggie Miller look like Karl Malone.” He further added, “A lot of people didn’t look at him as a Tier 1 or a blue chip college recruit, someone who can play in North Carolina, Dukes like that. They looked at him more like a small school player.”

Which college did Klay Thompson play for?

After facing a lot of rejections from top colleges, Mychal Thompson finally received a hopeful response. Speaking of it in the same podcast, he said, ” Lot of them PAC 12 schools didn’t really take him seriously until Tony Bennett from Washington State said, we like him, he’s got great potential.” 

Klay signed with Washington State in 2008, where he quickly became a standout player. He averaged 12.5 points in his freshman year, followed by 19.6 points in his sophomore year, and 21.6 points in his junior year, earning All-Pac-10 first team honors and becoming the Cougars’ leading scorer during his college career.

After the dominant collegiate career, Klay jumped straight into Stephen Curry‘s Golden State Warriors team. And as we all know, the rest was history. The duo, along with Draymond Green, went on to build the Dubs dynasty, winning four rings in the process.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.