A look back on the careers of Dell Curry and Mychal Thompson

Dell Curry and Mychal Thompson paved the way for their sons Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, respectively.

As two of the best shooters ever, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have molded Hall of Fame worthy careers.

But as top-level hoopers, Curry and Thompson had to learn how to ball somewhere.

They both had two NBA fathers to look up to in Dell Curry and Mychal Thompson, respectively. The two dads made solid careers for themselves, with the elder Curry playing most of his career with the Charlotte Hornets. The elder Thompson, whose prime was in the 1980s, played most of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers.

In celebrating Father’s Day, here is a look back at the careers of Dell Curry and Mychal Thompson.

Dell Curry

The elite jumper is a basketball gene prevalent in the Curry family.

The elder Curry made his career on consistently making jumpers from deep, and his start came with the Utah Jazz. The Jazz drafted Curry at No. 15 overall in the 1986 NBA draft. During his sophomore season, he played with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and by the time his fourth season rolled around, his impact started to be felt.

Curry’s fourth season was the 1989-90 campaign. The season was his second with the Hornets, and he scored 16.0 points per game and shot 35.4% from the 3-point line.

One of Curry’s top performances came during the Hornets’ first game of the 1996-97 season. Charlotte was playing the Toronto Raptors, and Curry led them to a win with a career-high 38 points and six 3-pointers.

As one of the Hornets’ best players ever, Curry had one of his best seasons during the 1993-94 season.

He scored a career-best 16.3 points per game, grabbed 3.2 rebounds a game and shot 40.2% from the 3-point line. Curry was third in scoring on the Hornets that season, right behind Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson. 

Curry ended his career playing for the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors, retiring in 2002. He shot 40.2% from the 3-point line for his career.

Before Kemba Walker came along and surpassed him, Curry was the Hornets’ all-time leading scorer. He currently ranks second on the franchise’s all-time leading scorers list. He also ranks second in the franchise for 3-point field goals, according to Basketball Reference. 

Mychal Thompson

The elder Thompson knew how to work his way around the low and high post.

Thompson was drafted No. 1 overall by the Trail Blazers in the 1978 NBA draft. A big man out of Minnesota, Thompson had a stellar rookie season during the 1978-79 campaign.

According to NBA.com stats, Thompson ranked fourth among rookies in points per game (14.7) and first in rebounds per game (8.3).

Thompson excelled at finding open spaces in the paint for buckets, and he was a solid passer as well. He averaged 2.3 assists per game for his career, and he tallied a career-high 4.8 assists a game during the 1982-83 season. During his career, he scored 13.7 points per game and grabbed 7.4 rebounds a game.

One of the best games of his career came when he showcased his versatile game.

He scored 24 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and dished 11 assists as he led the Trail Blazers to a win over the Denver Nuggets in January 1984. The performance marked one of Thompson’s two career triple-doubles, per Stat Muse. 

During the 1986-87 season, Thompson was traded from the San Antonio Spurs to the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the league’s titans in the 1980s.

Thompson helped the Lakers win back-to-back titles in 1987 and 1988. He was a key part of the team’s rebounding in the 1988 title season.

That season, Thompson ranked third on the team in rebounds per game behind A.C. Green and Magic Johnson, and he ranked fifth in scoring. After winning those two titles, Thompson played three more seasons with Los Angeles and retired in 1991.

He is still high in the Trail Blazers’ record books, as he is No. 9 on the franchise’s all-time leading scorers list and No. 4 in total rebounds, per Basketball Reference. 

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