Mychal Thompson
A graceful Bahamian big man who broke barriers as his nation's first NBA player and became a key champion in the Lakers' Showtime dynasty.
Born 1955 (age 71)·Bahamian basketball player·Birthday: January 30·Baby Boomers
Biography
Mychal Thompson didn't just make it to the NBA; he carried the hopes of an entire nation with him. As the first Bahamian-born-and-raised player in the league, his selection as the number one overall pick in 1978 was a historic moment for Caribbean basketball. A skilled and fluid center out of the University of Minnesota, he brought a polished offensive game to the Portland Trail Blazers. While injuries tempered some of the sky-high expectations, he evolved into a supremely effective player. His career found its perfect late chapter with the Los Angeles Lakers, where his intelligence, passing, and defense made him the ideal complementary big man for Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Coming off the bench, Thompson was instrumental in securing back-to-back NBA championships in 1987 and 1988. In retirement, his voice became familiar to a new generation as a sharp, charismatic broadcaster for the Lakers, while his legacy continued on the court through his sons, most notably NBA champion Klay Thompson.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Mychal was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Mychal Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Mychal's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Selected as the number one overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, becoming the first Bahamian-born player in the league.
- Won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1987 and 1988 as a vital member of their 'Showtime' era bench.
- Averaged a double-double for four consecutive seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers from 1979-80 to 1982-83.
- Had his No. 43 jersey retired by the University of Minnesota, where he was a two-time All-American.
Did You Know?
He is the father of five-time NBA All-Star and champion Klay Thompson and former NBA player Mychel Thompson.
He won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award in the 1986-87 season, though this is often unofficially credited; his role was quintessential sixth man.
He called games as a radio analyst for the Los Angeles Lakers for over a decade.
He was a standout in both basketball and track & field (high jump) in high school in the Bahamas.
“I was the first Bahamian in the NBA, and I take a lot of pride in that. I opened the door.”
