Quick answer
The Klay Thompson GOAT Build in NBA 2K27 is free from day one of Season 2: open the MyPLAYER Builder, pick the GOAT Builds path and choose him. No Season level, REP or Lifetime Challenges needed. He's a 6'7" shooting guard, 215 lbs, with a 6'9" wingspan, and the builder names the build "Game 6 Klay". He is the purest shooter in the set: 99 Three-Point (tied 1st of all 18 GOAT Builds with Ray Allen), 95 Mid-Range (4th) and 94 Perimeter Defense (3rd). The cost is everything off the dribble and above the rim: 54 Driving Dunk and 60 Vertical (both last of the 18), 70 Speed With Ball and 77 Speed. At 99 OVR with no Cap Breakers he reaches 36 badges, 7 of them Hall of Fame, and six of those seven are shooting badges. Everything here applies to Season 2 on Patch 2.0, checked October 27, 2026.
How do you unlock the Klay Thompson GOAT Build?
Klay is one of the eight GOAT Builds available immediately in Season 2, alongside Penny Hardaway, Gilbert Arenas, Carmelo Anthony, Andrei Kirilenko, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard. He's also the first name on 2K's own list: "GOAT Builds available at release include Klay Thompson, Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, and more. Players can earn even more GOAT Builds through REP and Lifetime Challenges" (2K Newsroom, October 14, 2026).
- Start NBA 2K27 on Season 2 (it went live Friday, October 16, 2026).
- Open the MyPLAYER Builder and choose the GOAT Builds path instead of Create Your Own or a Signature Blueprint.
- Pick Klay Thompson (SG). He is the only shooting guard GOAT you can make on day one; the other four (Kobe, Ray Allen, Jordan, Edwards) all need a grind.
- Set Badges, Cap Breakers and Takeovers the same way you would on any build.
NBA2KLab's builder card describes him as a "Premier two-way wing. Combines elite perimeter lockdown defense with nuclear, game-changing 3-point range." The build name nods to his 41-point, 11-three Game 6 in Oklahoma City in the 2016 Western Conference Finals. Like every build, he still needs VC to go from his starting overall to 99. 2K hasn't published a VC cost for GOAT Builds; trackers put it at about 375,000 VC, the same as a regular build, so treat that as an estimate. For the full list of 18 and how each one unlocks, see the NBA 2K27 GOAT Builds guide.
What are the Klay Thompson GOAT Build's attributes?
GOAT Builds, in 2K's words, "exceed the standard physical and attribute caps of the MyPLAYER Builder," and "the animations and stats are locked to preserve each player's authentic feel, while keeping full access to Badges, Cap Breakers, and more" (same Newsroom post). These are Klay's fixed ratings at 99 OVR from NBA2KLab's GOAT Builds database, checked October 27 and identical to goatbuilds.wiki. The right column is the ceiling with every Cap Breaker slot filled.
| Attribute | Base (99 OVR) | Max with Cap Breakers |
|---|---|---|
| Close Shot | 85 | 92 |
| Driving Layup | 88 | 93 |
| Driving Dunk | 54 | 86 |
| Standing Dunk | 30 | 80 |
| Post Control | 60 | 79 |
| Mid-Range Shot | 95 | 95 (no slots) |
| Three-Point Shot | 99 | 99 (no slots) |
| Free Throw | 85 | 99 |
| Pass Accuracy | 75 | 80 |
| Ball Handle | 75 | 80 |
| Speed With Ball | 70 | 75 |
| Interior Defense | 60 | 79 |
| Perimeter Defense | 94 | 94 (no slots) |
| Steal | 73 | 78 |
| Block | 40 | 76 |
| Offensive Rebound | 35 | 74 |
| Defensive Rebound | 60 | 79 |
| Speed | 77 | 82 |
| Agility | 90 | 90 (no slots) |
| Strength | 71 | 76 |
| Vertical | 60 | 77 |
| Spec | Klay Thompson GOAT Build |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting Guard |
| Height / Weight | 6'7" / 215 lbs |
| Wingspan | 6'9" |
| Build name in the builder | "Game 6 Klay" |
| Unlock | Available immediately, Season 2 |
| Locked | Attributes, body, gameplay animations |
| Yours to set | Badges, Cap Breakers, Takeovers |
Lined up against all 18 GOAT Builds:
- Nobody shoots better from three. His 99 Three-Point ties Ray Allen for 1st. His 95 Mid-Range is 4th behind Dirk (99), Ray Allen (97) and Carmelo (96), and his 85 Free Throw is tied 3rd.
- He's a real perimeter defender. 94 Perimeter Defense is 3rd of 18, behind only LeBron and Kawhi (both 96). Among the five shooting guard GOATs, only Jordan comes close at 90.
- He's the worst finisher in the set. 54 Driving Dunk and 60 Vertical are both 18th of 18, Offensive Rebound 35 is tied 17th, and his Finishing average of 63.4 is the lowest of the 18 (Gilbert Arenas is next at 69).
- He's slow for a guard. 77 Speed is 14th of 18 and 70 Speed With Ball is tied 13th. Every other shooting guard GOAT has 86 Speed or more.
His overall average across all 21 ratings is 70.3, 17th of 18 (only Dwight Howard is lower). That number undersells him: it's the price of a build that does two things, shooting and guarding the perimeter, near the top of the whole set.
Why can't a custom 6'7" build do this?
A common question on r/NBA2k is whether you could just copy his ratings on a normal build. One player put it plainly: "you literally cannot get a 99 3 on a 6'7." goatbuilds.wiki lists the caps a regular build with Klay's exact body gets, and four of his ratings sit above them:
- Three-Point Shot 99 vs a normal cap of 88 (+11)
- Agility 90 vs 86 (+4)
- Mid-Range Shot 95 vs 94 (+1)
- Perimeter Defense 94 vs 93 (+1)
That +11 on the three is the whole point of this build. No custom 6'7" wing can reach it.
What badges does the Klay Thompson GOAT Build get?
With zero Cap Breakers spent, NBA2KLab lists 36 badges: 7 Hall of Fame, 6 Gold, 7 Silver and 16 Bronze. goatbuilds.wiki lists the same 36 badge for badge. You still choose what to equip; the ratings decide how high each badge can go, so the attribute breakpoints and badge thresholds work the same way here as on a custom build.
- Shooting (8): Arc Cadence, Deadeye, Limitless Range, Quick Trigger, Set and Fire and Static Middy at Hall of Fame; Smooth Operator Gold; Post Fade Phenom Bronze.
- Defense (8): Off-Ball Pest Hall of Fame; Ankle Braces, Challenger, Pick Dodger and Seatbelt Gold; Glove, Immovable Enforcer and Interceptor Bronze.
- Finishing (7): Float Game, Ghost Stepper, Layup Mixmaster, Paint Prodigy and Physical Finisher Silver; Hook Specialist and Post Powerhouse Bronze.
- Playmaking (8): Dimer Silver; Ankle Assassin, Break Starter, Handles for Days, Lightning Launch, Pace, Unpluckable and Versatile Visionary Bronze.
- Physicals (4): Work Horse Gold; Slippery Off-Ball Silver; Bruiser and Flash Bronze.
- Rebounding (1): Sync Snatcher Bronze.
For comparison, the other shooting guard GOATs reach 37 badges (Ray Allen, 6 HOF), 38 (Kobe, 4 HOF), 39 (Jordan, 7 HOF) and 36 (Edwards, 4 HOF). Klay's total is ordinary; what's different is where the Hall of Fame tiers land. Six HOF shooting badges plus HOF Off-Ball Pest is exactly the catch-and-shoot, chase-a-shooter profile. One thing is missing: Slippery Off-Ball only reaches Silver, which a player in the same thread flagged: "His build should have a really high slippery but it doesn't."
Where should you put Cap Breakers on the Klay GOAT Build?
2K Support's rules: "a Cap Breaker can only be applied to an attribute a maximum of 5 times," and applying one is "a permanent change to your attributes that can't be moved once applied" (NBA 2K27: Cap Breakers, NBA 2K Support). Four of his ratings take no Cap Breakers because they're already above the cap for his body: Three-Point 99, Mid-Range 95, Perimeter Defense 94 and Agility 90. His shooting is already done; Cap Breakers only fix the rest. NBA2KLab's slot values:
| Attribute | Slot values | Total | Ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standing Dunk | +15, +12, +9, +8, +6 | +50 | 80 |
| Offensive Rebound | +13, +10, +9, +7 | +39 | 74 |
| Block | +10, +8, +7, +6, +5 | +36 | 76 |
| Driving Dunk | +9, +7, +6, +5, +5 | +32 | 86 |
| Interior D / Post Control / Def. Rebound | +5, +4, +4, +3, +3 | +19 | 79 |
| Vertical | +4, +4, +3, +3, +3 | +17 | 77 |
| Free Throw | +4, +3, +3, +2, +2 | +14 | 99 |
| Close Shot | +2, +2, +1, +1, +1 | +7 | 92 |
| Steal, Speed, Strength, Ball Handle, Speed With Ball, Pass Accuracy, Driving Layup | +1 each (5 slots) | +5 | 78 / 82 / 76 / 80 / 75 / 80 / 93 |
That bottom row is the frustrating part. Steal, Speed, Speed With Ball and Ball Handle all move one point per Cap Breaker, which is why players in the r/NBA2k thread complain that "the cap breakers for steal suck." You can't Cap Break your way to a faster Klay. Spend where the slots are big:
- Driving Dunk, first two (54 → 70). +16 for two Cap Breakers. It won't make him a slasher, but it stops open lanes from turning into blown layups.
- Block, first two (40 → 58). +18 for two. On a 6'7" wing who's already your best perimeter defender, this is the cheapest way to make closeouts and help-side contests count.
- Interior Defense and Defensive Rebound, first two each (60 → 69). +9 each. Both help when a switch puts you on a bigger player.
- Vertical, first two (60 → 68). +8 for two, helping contests and boards.
- Then the third Driving Dunk and Block slots (to 76 and 65).
Skip Standing Dunk even though its first slot is +15: 30 → 45 still won't finish anything in traffic, and a spot-up shooter rarely needs it. For how many Cap Breakers you can collect this Season, see how many Cap Breakers you can get in NBA 2K27, and for general placement logic, where to put Cap Breakers.
Does the Klay GOAT Build use Klay Thompson's jump shot?
Yes, and that's rarer than you'd think. NBA2KLab and goatbuilds.wiki both list a Klay Thompson jump shot base with Klay Thompson upper releases on both slots, at a "Normal" release speed. His free throw, go-to shot, dribble pull-up, hop jumper and post fade are Klay animations too. Compare the Gilbert Arenas GOAT Build, which gets an Ayo Dosunmu base with Marcus Smart uppers instead of Arenas's own shot. The rest of Klay's package:
- Dribble style: Austin Reaves. Crossover, spin, stepback and crossover escape: Jayson Tatum. Crossover stepback and breakdown combos: Klay Thompson.
- Layups: Klay Thompson on normal, reverse, floater and quick scoop; Default Swing on euro step, hop step and spin.
- Dunks: Basic two-foot and one-foot packages, Pro alley-oops, Klay Thompson signature dunks.
- Spin jumper: Andrew Wiggins. Post hop shot: Harrison Barnes. Motion style: Klay Thompson. Pass style: RJ Barrett.
2K says GOAT Build animations are locked. Some players report changing the release speed; 2K hasn't confirmed that, so test it in the builder before you spend VC. The top advice in the r/NBA2k thread on this exact build: "Try the jump shot first on another build... If you hate the shot and don't think you can use it effectively then I wouldn't waste vc or time on the build." If you want your own jumper, start from the best jumpshot after Update 2.0 on a custom build instead.
Klay vs Ray Allen, Kobe, Jordan and Edwards: which shooting guard GOAT Build?
Season 2 has five shooting guard GOAT Builds. Base ratings from NBA2KLab:
| Build | Height / Wingspan | 3PT / Mid | Driving Dunk | Speed With Ball | Perimeter D | Unlock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Klay Thompson | 6'7" / 6'9" | 99 / 95 | 54 | 70 | 94 | Day one |
| Ray Allen | 6'5" / 6'8" | 99 / 97 | 87 | 83 | 80 | REP Elite V |
| Kobe Bryant | 6'6" / 6'11" | 75 / 87 | 99 | 91 | 85 | Season 2 Level 37 |
| Michael Jordan | 6'6" / 6'11" | 70 / 87 | 99 | 91 | 90 | REP Elite VIII |
| Anthony Edwards | 6'4" / 6'9" | 91 / 88 | 98 | 91 | 88 | 300 Lifetime Challenges |
Klay vs Ray Allen is the obvious comparison. Both have a 99 three. Ray attacks the rim much harder (87 Driving Dunk vs 54) and is quicker with the ball (83 vs 70); Klay defends better (94 Perimeter Defense vs 80) and is two inches taller. The unlock decides it for most players: Klay is free today, Ray needs REP Elite V.
Klay vs Kobe is shooting against athleticism. One player in the thread argued "you'd have more fun w young Kobe doing just about the same thing and dunking on everyone," and Kobe does have the 99 Driving Dunk and 95 Vertical. But Kobe's three is 75 against Klay's 99, and he takes Season 2 Level 37 to unlock (see our Kobe GOAT Build guide). If you score from outside, Klay is the better shooter by a wide margin.
Jordan and Edwards are slashers who can shoot a little (Edwards 91 three) and need long grinds; our Michael Jordan and Anthony Edwards guides cover both.
Is the Klay Thompson GOAT Build worth it?
Yes, if you want a 3-and-D wing right now. He costs no grind beyond VC, has a three-point rating no custom 6'7" build can reach, six Hall of Fame shooting badges, his own jumper and the best perimeter defense of any shooting guard GOAT. In a lineup with a ball-handler, he's built to spot up, run off screens and guard the other team's best scorer.
Not if you want to create your own shot or play in the paint. 70 Speed With Ball, 75 Ball Handle, 54 Driving Dunk and 60 Vertical mean he lives off teammates, and Cap Breakers can't fix his speed. Players in the thread split along exactly those lines: one said "If you're okay with a 77 speed, you should be fine. I think that's the only flaw with that build," while another answered that "Klay isn't an off the dribble player, never has been." His attributes, body and animations can't be changed after you create him, so try the jumper first. If you'd rather a free two-way wing who can also attack, the Kawhi Leonard GOAT Build is the other day-one pick; if you want full control, see the best shooting guard build.
FAQ
How do you unlock the Klay Thompson GOAT Build in NBA 2K27? Open the MyPLAYER Builder, choose the GOAT Builds path and pick Klay Thompson. He's been available since Season 2 launched on October 16, 2026, with no Season level, REP or Lifetime Challenges required.
How tall is the Klay Thompson GOAT Build? 6'7", 215 lbs, with a 6'9" wingspan. Height, weight and wingspan are fixed on every GOAT Build.
Does the Klay GOAT Build have a 99 three? Yes. His Three-Point Shot is 99 at 99 OVR, tied with Ray Allen for the highest of the 18 GOAT Builds and 11 points above what a normal 6'7" build with his body can reach.
What jump shot does the Klay GOAT Build use? Klay Thompson's own: a Klay Thompson base with Klay Thompson upper releases at a Normal release, per NBA2KLab and goatbuilds.wiki. Animations are locked on GOAT Builds.
What are the best Cap Breakers for the Klay GOAT Build? Start with two into Driving Dunk (+16), two into Block (+18), then two each into Interior Defense and Defensive Rebound (+9 each) and Vertical (+8). Three-Point, Mid-Range, Perimeter Defense and Agility can't take Cap Breakers.
Klay or Ray Allen? Both have a 99 three. Klay is free on day one, taller and the much better defender; Ray Allen needs REP Elite V but is the better finisher and ball-handler.
More NBA 2K27 Season 2 guides: every GOAT Build and how it unlocks, the best shooting guard build if you'd rather build your own, and where to put Cap Breakers on any build.
