This painting revisits a formative period in the artist’s life and a friendship that began while attending Washington State University. During those years, he became close friends with Klay Thompson, who would go on to become one of the most accomplished three-point shooters in NBA history.

The artist’s own path initially seemed destined for sports. A talented football player, he had been recruited to WSU before suffering a near-fatal heart attack that abruptly ended his athletic ambitions. Unable to continue competing, he gradually redirected his energy toward art. His college home became a gathering place for friends and athletes, and those years of friendship, parties, and shared experiences would later become part of his visual memory.

The painting depicts two figures. One represents Thompson, surrounded by ball-like forms orbiting a pot or basket—a playful reference to his extraordinary ability as a three-point shooter. The second represents the artist himself, identified by an exaggerated fist, recalling the physical bravado and confrontational energy of his younger years.

Rather than attempting to document a particular event, the painting captures the feeling of a friendship and a specific moment in the artist’s life. It is ultimately a painted memory: an affectionate recollection of two young friends before either could fully know where their lives would take them.