Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving are two of the best players from the 2011 NBA Draft class. Irving was the consensus first overall pick in the draft, going to the Cavaliers.
Whereas Thompson got selected 11th overall, outside of the top 10 by the Golden State Warriors. Both Thompson and Curry eventually improved to the point where they became All-Stars.
And between 2015 to 2017, Irving and Thompson faced off in the NBA Finals each year, with Thompson and the Warriors winning in 2015 and 2017.
Irving and the Cavs won in 2016, with Kyrie making the game-winning shot in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
Since then, the two have not gotten the opportunity to play each other as much. Irving left Cleveland to join the Celtics and has not made the NBA Finals since 2017.
As for Thompson, he won another championship after Irving left, when the Warriors swept the Cavs in 2018.
But in 2019, Thompson suffered a debilitating injury in the 2019 NBA Finals, tearing his ACL. Thompson was ruled out for the entire 2019-20 season and was scheduled to return in time for the start of the 2020-21 NBA season.
But that never happened. Thompson suffered an Achilles tear, which ruled him out for the 2020-21 season as well. Since his injury in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, Thompson has missed at least over 140 games, with potential for more.
But surprisingly, he has a lead over Kyrie Irving. Between Irving and Thompson, Irving is still the player who has missed more games due to injury or any other reason. This is despite the fact that Klay has not played basketball for 2 years now.
Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving were both drafted in 2011.
But despite missing two straight seasons due to injury, Klay has still played more regular season games than Kyrie. pic.twitter.com/NDXoufFLR3
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) August 24, 2021
Irving missed a lot of games himself during Klay’s absence. In 2020, Irving declined from participating in the Orlando Bubble with the Brooklyn Nets.
Whereas in the 2020-21 NBA season, Irving regularly took time off due to injury and for personal reasons.
The return of Klay is an exciting prospect for NBA fans. Thompson is a fan favorite, and people have been clamoring for his return. But it will be interesting to see which of the two players ends their career with more games.
