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NBA History: 25 best sidekicks of all time

By Hans Themistode

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Ranking the 25 best NBA sidekicks of all time: 25. Klay Thompson

A Golden State Warrior team without Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on it seem a bit weird. The two simply go hand and hand with one another.

As the greatest shooting duo in NBA history, both players have a pocket full of rings and a long list of All-Star Games. But, in the NBA, two players can’t reign supreme at the top of the food chain.

Thompson has played Robin to Steph Curry’s Batman for three seasons. In his first two years in the league, Thompson wasn’t quite as good as former All-Star David Lee. Similarly, from the 2016-17 season to 2018-19, Thompson was the Warriors third-best player behind Kevin Durant and Curry.

In those three seasons where Thompson played second banana, he was terrific. He averaged over 21 points per game on two occasions, was a two-time All-Star and a two-time All-NBA player.

There will always be questions surrounding whether or not Thompson could lead his own team or not. Regardless of those questions, he was a great secondary star for a championship level team.