OAKLAND -- Klay Thompson's NBA reputation is of someone who has never known a shot he didn't want to take. There can be benefits, though, the first of which is to provide scoring for the Warriors.
But there is a greater cause, at least for the moment. Thompson is aiming higher than merely his team. He's shooting for humanity.
For each point Thompson scores during the three-game homestand that begins Wednesday night against the Toronto Raptors, he will donate $1.000 to the relief effort in the wake of the North Bay fires.
"I've been here for seven years," he said Wednesday morning after shootround. "I know a lot of people who in the North Bay come to watch us play. A lot of them lost their homes and everything they had, even loved ones."
Thompson said he jumped at the opportunity to help after his agent, Greg Lawrence, conceived the idea behind "Points with a Purpose." Anta, the company that provides Thompson's footwear and apparel, will match the funds generated by its star.
Outside donations, through pledgeit.org/klay, are encouraged. The goal is to raise $250,000 and more than half that amount has been pledged.
"I wanted to be big in the community, in the Bay Area, so this is a great step toward that," Thompson said. "Any positivity you can bring into the world, and it doesn't matter if it affects one person or 100 people, it's a great thing to do. It goes way beyond basketball."
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Through four games this season, Thompson is averaging 21.0 points. His streak of 58 consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer is the longest active streak in the NBA.
