Klay Thompson returned to the Bay Area for the first time as a member of the visiting team. The Dallas Mavericks guard/forward wasn’t treated as a villain. He was treated like a conquering hero.
Thompson, an integral part of the Warriors’ four NBA championships in his 13 years there, received the ol’ tip of the cap by an adoring faithful. The sold-out crowd during the NBA Cup game at Chase Center wore a boat captain’s hat as a salute to Thompson, who used to take boat rides to games when he played in the Bay wearing a captain’s hat. Thompson wore that same white cap during the last Warriors championship parade in 2022.
The sea of white caps certainly moved Thompson. You could see the emotion of his face during pregame introductions. There was a two-minute video tribute that rolled through his greatest moments as a Warrior, from the night he was drafted in 2011 to his Game 6 heroics in the playoffs to his record-setting 14 threes in one game to the championship runs in an eight-year span.
“It was a really cool experience. I appreciate the fans very much,” Thompson said after the game. “It was really cool to see the fans’ gratitude towards myself.”
Thompson deserved every bit of love he got from the Warriors organization and their loyal fan base. He grew up in Southern California and attended Washington State, but he made his mark in Northern California. He is a beloved sports figure in the Bay Area, and he will likely enter the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., as a Warrior.
Thompson was one half of the Golden State Splash Brothers — the greatest shooting backcourt in basketball history. His former Splash Bro, Steph Curry, gave him a big embrace before the game. Once the game started, they went at each other like two brothers playing on the family driveway.
On the Mavericks’ first possession, Thompson and Curry were matched up and Thompson drew a foul on Curry for two free throws. Moments later, Steph responded by dropping a 3-pointer in Klay’s face. This tit-for-tat went on for the entire game. Competition at its finest.
“That’s my road dawg. That’s my friend,” Curry said afterwards.
After a slow start, Thompson got hot and reminded Dub Nation what he used to be before the ACL tear and Achilles tendon rupture. Thompson rattled home six 3-pointers and finished with 22 points, making 7-of-17 shots from the field.
But in the end, his former Splash Brother had the last word. Curry scored the Warriors’ last 12 points in the final three minutes, finishing with 37 points (5-for-12 from 3-point range) to lead the Warriors to a 120-117 victory in a playoff-type atmosphere.
Thompson said it was “surreal” witnessing Curry’s late-game flurries as an opposing player.
“It was fun matching up with Steph,” he said. “It hurts to be on the other side of one of his flurries. Guy got hot at the end and made some ridiculous shots.”
It was a night Thompson will never forget, and Dub Nation went home happy.