Klay Thompson will be making his NBA return on Sunday in the match between Golden State Warriors and their old rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers, marking his first game in over 900 days.
One of the greatest players in NBA history, Thompson lost two seasons after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in the 2019 NBA finals, and then an Achilles injury while rehabbing from surgery for the previous one.
The five-time All-Star made the news of his comeback public on social media with a video from the movie Space Jam, writing, “Bill Murray is my spirit animal” during Murray’s declaration of “Perhaps I could be of some assistance.”
A formal release from the team followed soon after.
Thompson will start but with fewer minutes for now. Everyone plans to be patient.
“The game needs Klay, he’s one of the best shooters to ever play this game,” teammate Juan Toscano-Anderson said. “… The magnitude of this moment is so big.”
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“When he comes back, if it’s tomorrow night, it will be one of the most emotional nights of my basketball life,” Coach Steve Kerr said before the return was made official.
Son of former NBA player Mychal Thompson, Klay was selected in the first round of the 2011 NBA draft by Golden State with the 11th overall pick. He and Stephen Curry, in 2014, set a then-NBA record with 484 combined three-pointers in a season. The feat earned them the nickname of ‘the Splash Brothers’.
Riding on Thomson’s brilliance, the Warriors won their first NBA Championship since 1975, in 2015. He played pivotal roles in their 2017 and 2018 title-winning campaigns. However, the 31-year-old missed the next two seasons with the ACL injury.
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Thrilled with a productive warmup routine last Monday, Thompson later lifted both arms to the sky and ran off the court to a roaring ovation from the fans treated to watching his smooth shot as he neared closer to this day.
Teammate Draymond Green grinned watching Thompson exit through the tunnel to wild applause Monday night — thriving in the moment that will soon be far more meaningful than just his pregame regimen.
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“The light at the end of the tunnel, you can see it,” Green said, still smiling hours later. “I was very excited to see him walking off and embracing that love, holding his hands up. It was great. I’ve seen what he’s been through the last 2 1/2 years and it’s not pretty.”
Green added: “For those fans to line up there like that and show that support for him, I was a little salty that once he walked off the warmup was dead after that. I had nobody watching me warm up. You want that for him. … Definitely brought a smile to me. I was very happy to share the court with him for three minutes.”
Kerr has said Thompson is “in a great place, mentally, spiritually, physically.”
“I’m worried about him just enjoying playing basketball again,” Curry said. “The narratives and the impact will take place accordingly, and as he gets more and more comfortable every game he plays he’ll take us to another level.”
In November with the Warriors off to a sizzling 15-2 start, Thompson declared “it’s championship or bust” while noting they’d be that much better once he returned.
In fact, Kerr spoke to the team about the adjustments of working Thompson back into the rotation, given there will be fewer minutes and opportunities for players who have contributed significantly already to this impressive start by Golden State.
They understand.
“Klay is going to be Klay. He’s one of the greatest shooters of all time,” Andrew Wiggins said. “Him, Steph, Draymond, they’ve done a lot with this organization. When you think of those guys, you think of Golden State, you think of Golden State basketball, so when Klay comes back that’s rightfully so. His hard work to come back and what he’s done for the organization, when he comes back his spot’s going to be waiting for him.”
Green can’t wait for Thompson to do his thing at a high level again — and the five-time All-Star guard is determined to shine like he did with a 60-point performance in December 2016 and 37-point quarter before that in January 2015.
“He’s extremely excited and anxious to be back out there, I think you all are feeling the same way, we’re feeling the same way, this fan base is feeling the same way, and most important the world of basketball is feeling the same exact way,” Green said. “Everybody’s looking forward to Klay Thompson being back out there on the floor.”
(With inputs from AP)
