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After dealing with a slew of injuries, the Golden State Warriors became the first NBA team in modern history to start five rookies in one game on April 26, 2012.
Chris Wright led the Warriors in a 107-101 loss to the San Antonio Spurs with a career-high 25 points and eight rebounds to close out the 2011-12 regular season. The Warriors were without Stephen Curry, David Lee, Andrew Bogut and Dorell Wright among others.
In addition to Wright, the Warriors trotted out a starting lineup consisting of Klay Thompson, Mickell Gladness, Charles Jenkins and Jeremy Tyler. Of the group, Thompson, Jenkins and Tyler were all draft picks while Wright was undrafted and Gladness was signed to a 10-day contract.
After looking back on that starting lineup, Rookie Wire took a look at where those players are now:
- Wright: He appeared in 24 games during the 2011-12 season and just eight games the next season with the Warriors. He last played with the OKC Blue of the G League in the 2018-19 season.
- Gladness: His 14 points and nine rebounds against the Spurs were a career-high but that would be his final season in the NBA. He has since played in the G League and has bounced around several overseas clubs, most recently signing in Poland.
- Jenkins: He spent the 2012-13 season with the Philadelphia 76ers and has since played overseas, including several years in Serbia.
- Tyler: The former second-round pick spent two more years in the NBA before playing professionally overseas.
- Thompson: Of course, Thompson has since become a five-time NBA All-Star, three-time champion and is among the best players in the league today.
Following the 2011-12 season, the Warriors took Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green in the 2012 NBA Draft and made the playoffs in seven straight seasons prior to this year.
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