Veteran shooting guard Klay Thompson does not need any extra motivation heading into the 2025-2026 NBA season. At 35, he’s still looking to add another ring to his legacy – this time with the Dallas Mavericks.
It’s a championship commitment he takes pride in showing to his teammates every season. So much so that he’s not only been watching but also reportedly playing the 2011 finals series during training.
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“I watch the 2011 championship movie all the time. And I remember that run so vividly,” Thompson told reporters on media day. “They might not have been the most talented throughout that playoffs, but they exemplified what a team really is.”
Now playing in a veteran role, Thompson hopes to instill the 2011 team’s championship commitment in the current Mavericks roster this year.
“They were such a great team…and we can do what they did,” he said in an interview with Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth. “It’s just going to take championship commitment and a relentlessness we never really felt before.”
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There’s a lot to learn from the 2011 Dallas team
The Mavs overcame the Portland Trail Blazers (4-2), the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers (4-0), led by Kobe Bryant, the Oklahoma City Thunder (4-1), led by a young Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden.
Then in the finals, Dallas legend Dirk Nowitzki, alongside Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd, steered role players in Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, Tyson Chandler and a veteran bench to the franchise’s first-ever title, upsetting the historic Miami big three of prime LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh.
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Arguably, Dallas’s 2011 playoff run is one of the most challenging in modern NBA history, considering the amount of talent the team had to overcome with the limited firepower they had. Dirk had an all-time great individual playoff performance, averaging 27.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
However, Thompson believes that others playing their part made that 2011 team click and succeed. He expects the same from Dallas this year.
“Every player on that team knew their role,” he said. “They knew who was their closer. They knew what spots to operate best in. That inspires me. That’s what I want. I want to feel that again.”
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Thompson wants to play his part
Klay knows that he’s a far cry from the peak “Splash Brother” form he had when he was with the Warriors. In 72 games, he averaged 14.0 points on 41.2% shooting and 3.4 rebounds in a tumultuous 2024-2025 season.
As he enters his second full year as a Maverick, Thompson looks forward to sliding into a veteran role. He said he wants to make the little he has left in the league worthwhile.
“It’s exciting. It’s a chance to add a whole new chapter to my legacy,” he said. “You’re going to see a veteran leader, a shot maker, a versatile defender, and just someone who loves the game…I want to make the Dallas fans proud that I got to play for their city.”
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The four-time champion wants to act as a leader for the embattled Mavericks, a part he was not expected to play much with the Golden State Warriors.
“I want to lead with my voice by example, and I want to share my knowledge with these younger players, let them know what championship commitment looks like,” he said. “It’s a big task but it’s really worth it.”
With the loss of Dallas’s centerpiece, Luka Doncic, and the team still recovering from the injuries of star players like Kyrie Irving, this deep commitment to winning a championship, along with a handful of young talent, is all they can rely on.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 4, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.