In 2003, he was an All-Star. A 13-year-old budding prodigy because of his skill and natural feel for the game.



But Klay Thompson gave up baseball. He traded double plays for 3-pointers.



His dad, Mychal, who moved the family from Oregon to the suburbs of Los Angeles when he got the color commentator job with the Lakers, was a bit hurt by the decision. The former NBA star had a desire for baseball. So did his middle son.



“He loved baseball,” Thompson’s father, Mychal, told The Athletic by phone this week. “He had a passion for it as much as he did basketball. He could play all positions. He caught, played shortstop. He had a curveball that looked like Clayton Kershaw’s. I always told him, ‘Klay if you wanted to stick with baseball you’d be a first-round pick as a pitcher.’ A 6-foot-7 guy with his fastball and curveball and changeup and everything? He was really skilled as a pitcher.”



Klay, however,...