Klay Thompson’s success in the NBA is partially attributable to his genes. He has become one of basketball’s all-time great shooters. He also comes from a family of athletes.
Trayce Thompson’s MLB Career
Trayce Thompson is Klay Thompson’s brother. He plays baseball professionally. Trayce has appeared in 369 MLB games from 2015-23. He has twice represented Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic.
Trayce is an MLB journeyman outfielder. He has appeared in games for five teams across parts of seven seasons. Trayce debuted with the White Sox in 2015. He hit 13 home runs with the Dodgers in 2016. He found his way back to L.A. to tie his career-high of 13 again in 2022.
Most recently, Trayce appeared in games with the Dodgers and White Sox in 2023. He struggled to recapture the success he found in a platoon role a season earlier. Trayce has a career .212 AVG but a more respectable .711 OPS due to his solid power.
Trayce spent 2024 and 2025 trying to climb back to the major leagues. He spent all of 2025 in the Red Sox’ system. He hit 13 home runs in 94 games with triple-A Worcester but batted only .225.
World Baseball Classic Appearances
In 2023, Trayce represented Great Britain at the World Baseball Classic. He is on Great Britain’s roster again for the 2026 tournament.
The World Baseball Classic has fairly relaxed eligibility standards. Trayce is able to play for Great Britain due to his father’s roots in the Bahamas. Trayce himself was born in Los Angeles, but the Bahamas still has Great Britain’s King Charles III as head of state despite now being an independent nation.
Jazz Chisholm Jr., who is also from the Bahamas, is representing Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic as well.
Klay’s Other Brother
Thompson’s older brother, Mychel, comes from a basketball background. He spent four seasons at Pepperdine but went undrafted in 2011, the same year in which Klay was selected by the Warriors.
Mychel bounced around for six years, playing for three different G League teams and briefly playing for an Italian professional team. He appeared in five NBA games with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011-12, starting three, but never found his way back.
Klay Thompson can certainly attribute some of his NBA success to his genes.