Klay Thompson explains uniform number change with Mavericks, which honors another all-time great shooter

Thompson, whose No. 11 will one day be retired by the Warriors, will wear No. 31 in Dallas

By Brad Botkin Jul 9, 2024 at 4:08 pm ET• 1 min read

Klay Thompson is done playing for the Golden State Warriors, but he's not done as an NBA player and he sounds like he can't wait to get to work for the Dallas Mavericks. As this new and perhaps final chapter of Thompson's Hall-of-Fame career begins on a three-year, $50 million contract in Dallas, he told reporters on Tuesday that he's "not mad at the change" of playing for a team other than the Warriors for the first time in his professional life, and that he's "actually excited for it."

One of these changes for Thompson will be the number on his back. For 13 years Thompson wore No. 11, which the Warriors have already said will be retired, but in Dallas that number is occupied by Kyrie Irving. Thompson will be wearing No. 31 for the Mavericks, and he didn't choose that number at random. 

He chose it to honor Reggie Miller, another all-time great shooter who wore No. 31 for the Pacers and after whom Thompson has modeled his game dating back to his teenage years.