SAN FRANCISCO — You easily could have mistaken Chase Center for a nautical convention. We are in the Bay, after all. Most of the arena’s 18,000 fans donned captain’s hats on Tuesday night for the return of arguably the most beloved Warrior of all time besides Stephen Curry — four-time champion and five-time All-Star Klay Thompson.
Now a member of the visiting Dallas Mavericks, Thompson devoted his first 11 NBA seasons to Golden State, and was met with a commensurate response from the San Francisco crowd. A video was played on the jumbotron prior to his introduction in the starting lineup, showing his various incredible accomplishments, including his NBA-record 37-point quarter and 14 3-pointer game.
When his name was announced, every member of the crowd removed their captain’s hat — a nod to Thompson’s penchant for taking his boat across the Bay to practices and games — and saluted their beloved former Warrior. Thompson turned to every corner of Chase Center as he savored the emotional moment.
“It’s not just the skill with Klay, it’s not just the commitment to the organization, the competitive desire,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said before the game. “There’s an aura about him that connected our fans to him right away. That’s what it takes. That’s pretty rare to do all of that and have that kind of impact. But Klay had it.”
The word “aura” perfectly encapsulated the vibes at Chase Center for Thompson’s return. The buzz was more vibrant, the energy was more powerful and the fans were more excited. Even though he was in a different uniform, the mere sight of Thompson and all the positive memories associated with his time in the Bay permeated the sold-out arena. Every time the camera caught him, the crowd erupted in cheers.
But in the end, the night belonged to Curry and the Warriors on the opening night of the NBA Cup. Late in the fourth, Curry erupted for a personal 12-0 run to flip a 114-108 deficit into a 118-114 lead in a thrilling 120-117 victory for Golden State.
Curry finished with 37 points, nine assists and six rebounds while Thompson countered with 22 points, matching a season-high, on 6-of-12 from deep. But it wasn’t enough as the Mavericks dropped to 5-6 and the Warriors improved to 9-2.
Thompson joined the Mavericks on a three-year, $50 million sign-and-trade deal this offseason. He seemed destined to finish his career as a Warrior, but it became clear once his free agency began that he and Golden State were not going to come to terms. In his first 10 games with Dallas, he’s averaged 14 points and four rebounds on 35% 3-point shooting.
“He’s a true pro. Comes to work, understands what it means to win,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said before the game. “We can talk about his ability to shoot the ball, space and his gravity, we can run him around. He’s going to create space for others. So when you talk about the big picture, that’s hard to find, and we didn’t have that, and it was much needed. I think we got lucky to get him.”
Thompson holds career averages of 19.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists on 45/41/86 shooting splits. He scored a career-high 60 points for the Warriors in 2016, is known for his multiple clutch postseason moments, and will likely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when his time comes.
