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Klay Thompson was officially introduced as a member of the Miami Heat on Tuesday, and his arrival has been compared to Ray Allen’s in 2012. Thompson is one of the greatest shooters in NBA history and has joined the Heat at the end of his career in search of championships, just like Allen did back then. The parallels are uncanny, and Thompson was asked on ESPN South Florida if he likes the comparison. “Of course I like those comparisons,” Thompson said. “I love Ray Allen. You kidding me? Him and Reggie [Miller] were like the blueprint for my whole off-ball formula. I still do the drill. I still watch their footage all the time and how they got open and how much they move without the ball. And I was lucky enough to play for a coach in Darren Erman who spent time with Ray in Boston. “So, I got to learn from Darren what Ray would do in his off time,” Thompson continued. “How serious he took his conditioning and his fitness. And it gives me chills that I’m even in the same sentence as Ray because if you would have told me this in my rookie season, I would have never believed you. “I mean, Ray has one of the greatest shots obviously in NBA history, and I still practice that drill, the back pedal drill at the corner like he did in Game 6 2013,” Thompson added. “But yeah, I welcome those comparisons. I’m never going to say I was better than Ray or I have more game than him, but to even be in the same breath as him is surreal, and it’s an honor as an off guard, really.” That last bit sure is interesting. Thompson recently got into it with fans who were debating whether he or Allen ranks higher all-time. It appears the 36-year-old was only dispelling some narratives about him, not trying to claim he ranks higher. Thompson has always shown Allen, who retired in 2016 as the NBA’s all-time leader in threes made with 2,973, a lot of respect. He once ranked the Hall of Famer third on his list of the greatest shooters of all time, two spots above himself. Allen was regarded as the greatest shooter of all time in the early 2010s before Thompson’s former Golden State Warriors teammate Stephen Curry came along. He notably hit one of the most iconic clutch shots in NBA history in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals. Allen joined the Heat in 2012, as mentioned earlier, and got to the big stage in his very first season in Miami. Standing between him and a second NBA championship were the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs were up 3-2 heading into Game 6 of that series and led by three in the closing stages. They looked set to win when LeBron James missed a three-pointer, but Chris Bosh secured the offensive rebound and passed to Allen, who drilled a three. That shot took the game to overtime, and the Heat eventually won it and then the series in seven games. Now, that 2013 title remains the last the Heat have won. They got back to the NBA Finals in 2014 with Allen, but lost to the Spurs in five games. They also got to the big stage in 2020 and 2023, but failed to get over the line. Thompson hopes to help end the Heat’s title drought, and he is motivated to show he can still be a quality player on a contending team. The five-time All-Star averaged 11.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Dallas Mavericks in 2025-26. While Thompson, who signed a two-year, $11.5 million deal, is no longer in his prime, he is the kind of shooter the Heat needed. They made the biggest move of the offseason by acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks, but there were still holes to fill after that. It’s safe to say the shooting concerns have been addressed now. Thompson is very much looking forward to playing with Antetokounmpo. The four-time NBA champion believes they can help each other, and they have the capabilities to do so. Thompson, the No. 11 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, was dreaming of winning his fifth championship when he went to the Mavericks in 2024. That turned out to be a terrible decision, though, and here’s hoping this move to the Heat proves more fruitful.