On this site, you can often find updates on what Golden Gopher alumni are doing today. Many of them go on to have successful sports careers in the NBA and other major leagues. Others play a smaller role but are nonetheless instrumental in building the legacy of other athletes on the national stage. Here are some basketballers who had a little help from the Gophers.
The Twin Towers
It may have been a flash in the pan, but the Twin Towers era of the Houston Rockets is fondly remembered to this day. That was when Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson led them to the 1986 Finals, but they didn’t win. That was because Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics squad was waiting for them on the other side, with a little help from one of the best Golden Gophers to ever grace the NBA, Kevin McHale.
The Celtics have remained a major Eastern Conference competitor ever since, and as of the 22nd of May, they were also the -175 favorites to take the 2024 Finals. Their historic dominance gets them a lot of attention from those who bet on NBA games, and in the 80s Bird’s Celtics even helped save the NBA by bringing more interest to the sport. By winning, the Celtics delayed Hakeem’s Rockets dynasty by about a decade, by which point the Twin Towers had been separated by trades.
Kevin McHale isn’t the Gopher connection here, however. When they were at their best, the Twin Towers had help from two other teammates also playing the center and forward-center positions. They were almost as tall as the towers themselves and noticeably taller than the rest of the squad – Granville Waiters and Jim Petersen. Gopher historians will know that Petersen was part of the 1982 Big Ten team that took home the championship alongside Randy Breuer and Trent Tucker, under coach Jim Dutcher.
At 6’ 10” and 235 pounds, Petersen played forward with Ralph Sampson while Granville stayed back with Hakeem, and both helped form the ironclad center of the team. Hakeem and Sampson were the tallest and better players of the four, so naturally the nickname stuck and even became a formula that’s used today. However, it was a team effort, and when Sampson flagged during some ‘86 season games, Petersen’s point and rebound averages inflated to pick up the slack.
Petersen was later traded away, where he never had the same opportunities to shine. However, he has since become beloved as ‘Jim Pete’ the NBPA advocate, game analyst for the Timberwolves, and a Minnesota Lynx assistant coach for a short time. Fellow Gopher Lindsay Whalen was part of the Lynx squad, and later became head coach for the Gophers’ women’s team.
Klay & Mychel Thompson
If Mychel’s name didn’t tip you off, Klay and Mychel are the two sons of Golden Gopher great Mychal Thompson. Mychal represented the Gophers alongside the Showtime-era Lakers under Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, so he’s already gotten his flowers from fans and pundits alike.
Without Mychal Thompson, his sons would never have become pro basketballers. Klay has spent his decade-long career with the Golden State Warriors, where he doubled his father’s NBA championship record by getting four rings between 2015 and 2022. Today he’s best known for being one-half of the Splash Brothers with Steph Curry, who were instrumental to GSW’s dominance in the 2010s.
Mychel didn’t make the NBA draft with his brother, so he entered the development league instead. While Klay was playing alongside Steph Curry for the GSW, Mychel played with Seth Curry as part of the Santa Cruz Warriors team. Together, they were called the Splash Brothers of the D-League, until Mychel retired from professional basketball in 2018.
For baseball fans, Trayce Thompson of the New York Mets is also Mychal Thompson’s son. He’s a mercenary outfielder who has put in time with the MLB’s biggest teams, from the Chicago White Sox and Cubs to the L.A. Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. He was also invited to the 2023 World Baseball Classic tournament where he played for Great Britain.
Doc Rivers & Austin Rivers
In Gophers’ history, Jim Brewer was a name that attracted controversy. He was at the 1972 courtside brawl in Minneapolis, and in the same year, he was part of an international incident at the Olympic Games when a Soviet athlete injured him. His career settled after that, with time spent racking up accolades for the Cavs like All-Defensive team nominations. He was also with the Lakers in the early 80s, earning himself a ring, and received praise from teammate and fellow Gopher Clyde Turner during an interview with us.
Nobody knew it at the time, but Brewer’s NBA run was just the first from a family that would produce one of the greatest coaches of all time. Doc Rivers is Brewer’s nephew and went through the same education as Jim, though Rivers opted for the Marquette Warriors over the Gophers. When Brewer left the NBA in 1983, Rivers had just started his playing career with the Atlanta Hawks.
Today everyone knows Doc Rivers for being one of the NBA’s top coaches. He coached the Celtics to their 2008 championship and more recently, he’s been making teams like the Philadelphia 76ers and the Milwaukee Bucks more competitive. Unsurprisingly, Rivers’ sons have taken their shot at basketball careers too. Austin Rivers has become the most prominent, helping the Timberwolves with their newfound competitiveness last season.