Last year, 23-year-old Mychel Thompson played for the Pepperdine men’s basketball team. This year, Mychel had a five-game stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, before being released back to the D-League on Feb. 6.
On Jan. 29, Mychel contributed four points and two rebounds in the fourth quarter of a Cavaliers away game win over the 2008 champion Boston Celtics. More impressively, the rookie’s defensive assignment was future Ray Allen.
It was only the second game of his young NBA career in which he received playing time, and those were his first points recorded in the League.
“When I got in there, I wasn’t really thinking about scoring,” Mychel said. “I didn’t really care about scoring. I just wanted to help the team win.”
Mychel started his first NBA game on Jan. 31 in a home loss to the Celtics, and went on to start the next two games versus the Orlando Magic and the Dallas Mavericks.
After Mychel went undrafted in the 2011 NBA draft, he signed with the Erie BayHawks in the D-League. Then, five games into the season, he received the call up to the NBA, two days before Cleveland’s season started.
“I couldn’t believe it until it was official,” 6-foot-6-inch Mychel said. “I was counting down the minutes, counting down the seconds, I was waiting and hoping. I didn’t want to jinx it or anything. It’s a blessing I’ve made it. I still pinch myself everyday. I feel honored to be here.”
Mychel said he has been working toward his NBA career his whole life.
“Playing in the NBA was always my goal ever since I was little,” Mychel said. “I couldn’t see myself doing any other job.”
Mychel’s father, Mychal Thompson, played on the Lakers with legendary hall- of-famers including Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Mychal won two rings in 1987 and 1988 with the Lakers, and remains involved with the franchise as a broadcaster.
Mychal offered encouraging advice from first-hand experience, and his oldest son Mychel was quick to listen.
“Growing up he was always telling me to play hard and play my game,” Mychel said. “He told me, ‘If you play hard, the rest will come.’”
Mychal’s two younger sons are also involved in professional sports.
The Golden State Warriors picked Klay Thompson in the first round of the 2011 NBA draft, and the youngest brother, Trayce Thompson, is playing outfielder in the Chicago White Sox farm system.
With three budding athletes under one roof, there was undoubtedly competition in the Thompson household, but it worked in a positive manner.
“There were a lot of arguments over sports,” Mychel said. “We were always competing with each other and we still are, but both of my brothers are like my best friends. We talk pretty much everyday.”
Even though Mychel has had early success, he explains the transition from college to the NBA was not an easy task.
“Players in the NBA are bigger, stronger, more physical, more athletic, they’re just all around better,” Mychel said. “The pace of the game is faster, and the lifestyle is a lot different. I’ve definitely enjoyed my time in the NBA.”
Mychel averaged 3.6 points in the five games he played with the Cavaliers. He averaged 19.8 points in his five prior games with the Erie BayHawks.
