Klay's potential exit means the end of Warriors legendary Big 3

07/01/2024 01:18 AM

The Big 3 can't end like this!

Word on the street is that Klay Thompson is going to leave the Golden State Warriors this offseason. That's pretty sad considering he and Steph Curry are the Splash Bros, the greatest backcourt of all-time that changed the game forever.

But then when you throw in the defensive anchor Draymond Green, these are three guys who got the Warriors franchise out of the mud and elevated to a dynasty. Their impact on the game cannot be understated.

Their run reminds me of other modern NBA Big 3's, and how nothing lasts forever.

San Antonio Spurs Big 3

Tim Duncan-Manu Ginobili-Tony Parker WERE A PROBLEM FOR THE NBA FOR HELLA LONG.

Let's check out Wikipedia putting respect on their name:

The Big Three was a trio of National Basketball Association players for the San Antonio Spurs from 2002 to 2016, which consisted of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginóbili. They would win four NBA championships (2003, 2005, 2007, 2014) during that time-span. Duncan and Ginóbili retired after the 2015–16 season and the 2017–18 season, respectively.

Parker, after playing one season with the Charlotte Hornets, retired after the 2018–19 season. The Big Three is one of the most decorated and successful trios in NBA history, having won 575 regular season games and 126 postseason games together; they won fifty games in each season that the trio played together, and they won sixty games in a season five times. Each member of the trio has had their jersey retired by the Spurs and all three have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Boston Celtics Big 3

The Paul Pierce-Kevin Garnett-Ray Allen triumvirate came together abruptly, with Pierce's Celtics languishing without enough support, while KG and Allen were stars on the outside of contention in the later stages of their careers. They won 66 games their first season, and knocked off Kobe Bryant's Lakers to win a title their first year.

They would make one more NBA Finals trip, losing in a climactic Game 7 to those same Lakers, but they were able to at least bring one banner back to Beantown. But two defeats to the Miami Heat's own Big 3 in successive postseason ultimately doomed Boston's triplets.

Per Bleacher Report:

A rift between Rajon Rondo and Allen (per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports!) may have helped spur Allen's departure, as the unrestricted free agent signed with the Heat for nearly half of what the Celtics' front office offered him.

So Boston moved on in the absence of Allen, picking up Jason Terry and Courtney Lee to help fill the void. The new Big Three was unquestionably Rondo, Garnett and Pierce, and they soldiered on with renewed hopes of hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

As the season kicked off, no symbol of the old Big Three's dissolving was more telling than Garnett's over-hyped snub of Allen in the 2012-13 season opener, which was their first meeting after Allen's exit.

Rondo tore his ACL that season and pretty much ruined the team's hopes of competing for a title.

Those Celtics were never the same after that, as Pierce and Garnett were eventually traded to the Brooklyn Nets. But their impact on the franchise and the league won't be forgotten despite only being together for five years.

Miami Heat Big 3

The aforementioned Miami Heat Big 3 of Dwyane Wade-Chris Bosh-LeBron James unleashed the player empowerment era and shook up the NBA. James was the reigning MVP at the height of his powers, while Wade and Bosh were powerful All-Stars in their own right.

They played together for four years, making the NBA Finals each time. They sandwich a repeat campaign in between two losses in the championship round before James split to return back to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Cleveland Cavaliers Big 3

Uhhh I guess I better mention the dudes who knocked off the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals smh. They made the NBA Finals from 2015-2017 with this group of James-Kyrie Irving-Kevin Love before Kyrie abruptly received a trade.

Any other Big 3's of the recent era that I missed? Let me know in the comments!