Heat news: Klay Thompson shares interesting story behind jersey No. 11 appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Klay Thompson recently secured a move to the Miami Heat after getting the final year of his contract with the Dallas Mavericks bought out. Thompson had been angling for a move to a team with contending aspirations, and with the Heat in dire need of floor-spacing after trading away a handful of rotation players in their blockbuster trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, both sides felt as though teaming up was perfect.
As an added bonus, Thompson gets to wear his preferred jersey number of 11 once more. He had to don the number 31 when he signed with the Mavericks, as the no. 11 belonged to Kyrie Irving. Now, he’s back to more familiar territory. In fact, Thompson has a plethora of reasons as to why he chose to wear the no. 11 during the 12 seasons he spent with the Golden State Warriors.
“I grew up on 11 Paverstone Lane in Ladera Ranch. I was 11th pick in 2011. ‘K’ is the 11th letter of the alphabet,” Thompson told head coach Erik Spoelstra in a video posted by the official Heat account on X.
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“I had to go with the second-best option which is 11.”
Klay Thompson reveals the story behind the #11 🔥
(via @MiamiHEAT) pic.twitter.com/tEioVXNl6m
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 27, 2026
Thompson did wear jersey no. 1 when was at Washington State. However, back when the Warriors drafted him, Dorell Wright, who was a member of the 2006 Heat team that won the championship, was on the team with veteran ownership of that number. In turn, Thompson had to be the one to adjust. And the rest is history.
“Dorell Wright had number one. I wore number one in college. I had to go second best option,” Thompson added.
Thompson has made the jersey number 11 iconic in his own right. The Warriors dynasty would not have been what it was if not for him, and even now that he’s 36 years of age, he commands so much respect on the hardwood simply by virtue of being who he is — one of the best shooters in NBA history.
The Heat are excited to see what Thompson can do for a team with winning ambitions, as he spent the last two seasons of his career playing for a Mavs team that was in constant flux.
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