The NBA is a business. Players can stick around with one team for a long time, but sometimes its a better situation for them to start with with a clean slate with a new team.
Shooting guard Klay Thompson spent 13 years with the Golden State Warriors. The franchise drafted him with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Thompson developed into one of the better deep ball shooters in the league. He and teammate Steph Curry became known affectionately as ‘The Splash Bros.’
Thompson won four NBA Finals with Golden State. He is a five-time All-Star and won the NBA’s Three-Point Contest in 2016. Thompson was involved in a massive, six-team sign and trade deal, and he wound up on the Dallas Mavericks. He was signed to a three-year, $50 million deal.
On Tuesday night, Thompson made his return to the Chase Center in San Francisco, California. Here are the best tributes from the night, and how Thompson is performing against his former team.
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Klay Thompson Tributes
Thompson coming back to town was a huge event. It was over the top. Golden State had 400 employees lining the entrance tunnel waiting to welcome Thompson back. Photographers surrounded him and it looked like the top A-tier celebrity had walked in. There was a whole camera crew following him, which will likely result in good footage released later.
About 400 Warriors employees greet Klay Thompson as he walks into Chase Center pic.twitter.com/vg4AO05ou1
— Danny Emerman (@DannyEmerman) November 13, 2024
Cue the waterworks. The Warriors put together an awesome tribute package for Thompson.
From: #DubNation
To: Klay ThompsonTHANK YOU pic.twitter.com/udTamwW4FJ
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 13, 2024
A warm welcome 😎@KlayThompson // #MFFL pic.twitter.com/0kQNd6K1hm
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) November 13, 2024
When the game begins, the good feelings will move to the back burner as Golden State wants to geta an important win on its home court. The day before the game, though, Thompson’s former teammates shared some words for the guard.
“Welcome back home, brother.”
The Warriors shared their messages to Klay Thompson upon his return to the Bay ❤️ pic.twitter.com/mRJmYAhKy1
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 12, 2024
This section will be updated.
Klay Thompson Stats vs. Warriors
This section will be updated during the game. Stats updated through the first quarter.
- Points: 11
- Rebounds: 3
- Assists: 2
- Steals: 0
- Blocks: 0
- Turnovers: 1
- FG: 3-8
- 3PT: 3-5
- FT: 2-2
- Minutes: 17
- Fouls: 3
Klay Thompson Highlights vs. Warriors
As predicted, the warm welcome ended when the opening tipoff happened. Steph Curry hit a big three in the first quarter and instantly pointed toward his former teammate.
STEPH POINTED AT KLAY 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/M1Z9L5XUr8
— CurryMuse (@Curry_Muse) November 13, 2024
Thompson didn’t say anything in response to the point but responded in the best way possible. The Maverick guard hit two threes and used a Curry celebration after each.
Splash Brothers know the feeling! https://t.co/tdwaWk40Kz pic.twitter.com/JjRJXodKYS
— NBA (@NBA) November 13, 2024
Captain Klay Nickname, Explained
Thompson’s tenure in Golden State came with a pretty epic nickname. He was dubbed “Captain Klay” because he actually owns a boat. Thompson enjoyed taking his 37-foot fishing boat out in the San Francisco Bay and it didn’t go unnoticed. He called it the “Nordic Knife’ or “Splash Express.” It’s a Axopar, made by Seattle Yachts.
In honor of Thompson’s return, all fans in attendance of the game were given captain’s hats. You can see the staff members wearing them when Thompson arrived at the arena. Even the ‘Inside the NBA’ crew got in on the action and wore Captain hats during pregame coverage.
A salute for the Cap 🫡@KlayThompson // #MFFL pic.twitter.com/h6PGqBWeOF
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) November 13, 2024
