Klay Thompson Rekindles “Unrealistic” Goal of Surpassing Ray Allen After 17,000 Point Milestone

Klay Thompson’s legendary career is often slept on, and part of that may be because he’s left the Golden State Warriors for the Dallas Mavericks. But having recently created history, Klay is back in the spotlight in the again.

The four-time champion’s accolades are what aspirants dream of. In addition to his title wins, he’s a five-time All-Star and one of the greatest shooters of all time, perhaps second next to his “splash bro” Stephen Curry.

Now, recently, he passed the 17,000 point milestone, having also overtaken Damian Lillard in the list of All-time three pointers made in regular season NBA. He recently spoke to the press about the incredible accolade and admitted that while it was a nice add-on to his Hall of Fame resume, he felt just as happy about the fact that the team won.

“It’s been awesome, especially when I shoot the ball well, and we win. What a nice combo. On top of that, to be in the history books at No. 4 right now is pretty sweet,” stated the 35-year-old in a Maverick press conference.

Thompson has never showboated unless baited by a defender he had just torched. That is why he continues to find success. Being humble means focusing on steady progress and appreciating the journey along the way. And that is the scary thing about a player like Klay. He has a goal, and it is to one day hit more threes than Ray Allen.

“Just to keep climbing that ladder and have a chance to pass Ray (Allen) one day,” Thompson continued. “I’ll never forget when I was a rookie, I put in my Twitter bio that I’m chasing Ray Allen, and a lot of internet people said that was unrealistic for me, so it’s nice to have a chance to pass one of my idols.”

Klay Thompson scored his 17,000th point tonight and passed Damian Lillard on the All-Time 3-pointers made list earlier this week.

His thoughts on a week of accolades:

“It’s been awesome, especially when I shoot the ball well, and we win. What a nice combo. On top of that, to be… pic.twitter.com/DNwUabRJSy

— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) January 18, 2026

That chase, though, is unfolding in a strange vacuum right now. This is essentially a lost season for Dallas, who sit 12th in the West, which makes Thompson’s big nights feel less like momentum and more like personal math. There is nothing wrong with that. Legends earn the right to pad stats when the bigger picture is already broken.

Still, it adds an odd footnote to these milestones. The wins do not carry much weight, the standings hardly matter, and so Klay is left doing what he has always done best: shooting his way up the history books while waiting for a context that truly fits him again.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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