Klay Thompson shares how he wants to emulate Shaquille O’Neal, Tom Brady in his own career

Klay Thompson has already experienced more success — both individually and collectively — in his NBA career than the overwhelming majority of players in the league right now ever will. He’s a four-time NBA champion and five-time All-Star who’s also cemented himself as one of the greatest perimeter shooters that the game of basketball has ever seen.

But Thompson recently implied that he is still hungry to accomplish even more in the league with his new team, the Dallas Mavericks, and he cited Shaquille O’Neal and Tom Brady as a pair of athletes who won titles with more than one team.

“I’m so grateful for everything I experienced at Golden State,” Thompson said. “But I mean, I’ve seen some of my favorite athletes pivot and have tremendous success. When I think of Shaq leaving the [Los Angeles] Lakers and winning a ring or Tom Brady winning one with Tampa Bay, it’s been done before.

“That was my main goal at this point in my career. I just want to win, and this team is so close. I just wanted to be a part of that when July 1 hit [free agency]. It’s human nature to think about your future. As present as you’re supposed to be, we’re all human. We all think about that. Now, to know I’m locked in for a few years here, it allows me to be free.”

Brady spent the overwhelming majority of his NFL career with the New England Patriots, with whom he won six Super Bowls. But he went on to win one more title when he played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the twilight of his pro tenure.

Additionally, O’Neal was arguably at his most dominant when he played for the Lakers, and he led Los Angeles to three consecutive NBA titles. The Lakers are also the most recent NBA team to three-peat. Several years removed from his dominant run with Los Angeles, O’Neal and Dwyane Wade helped the Miami Heat to their first title in franchise history in 2006.

Fortunately for Thompson, he is a member of a Mavericks team that knocked on the door of winning an NBA title last season. Dallas reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011 in the 2023-24, but the team seemed outmatched against a juggernaut of a Boston Celtics squad in the championship series.

The Mavericks lost the best-of-seven series in five games, and Dallas’ lone win of the NBA Finals came after it already dug itself a 3-0 series hole.

Here’s to hoping that Thompson will follow in the footsteps of Brady and O’Neal and win a championship with more than one team during his professional career. The Mavericks are off to a 5-5 start to the 2024-25 regular season and will take on Thompson’s former team, the Golden State Warriors, on Tuesday night.