SAN FRANCISCO — (AP) — Mere minutes after the final buzzer sounded, and with the score still showing on the big screen, an emotion-stirring graphic went up for all to see: side-by-side photos of Stephen Curry dribbling left-handed and Klay Thompson in nearly the same pose but now wearing a blue Mavericks jersey.
The Golden State Warriors had just wrapped up their season-opening homestand and the game with Dallas was the next date at Chase Center — with all fans in attendance to receive a captain's hat honoring Thompson's tradition of boating to games as “Captain Klay.”
On Tuesday night, Thompson returns to face the Warriors for the first time since joining the Mavericks in July on a three-year, $50 million contract following 11 seasons and four championships with Golden State.
“I don't think I'll really know until I get there to be honest,” Thompson said when asked about he'd react to the reunion. "It'd be good to see all the people I grinded with that's for sure, especially the training staff because we had some ... we got to know each other very well over those rehab stints, very well.”
The veteran guard missed more than 2 1/2 years — the entire 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons — recovering from surgeries on his left knee and right Achilles tendon before making his comeback in January 2022. He has called the recoveries from consecutive injuries one of the hardest and most grueling things he has ever endured.
The 34-year-old Thompson insists he will be able to focus as if it's just another game on the schedule, even if that is hardly the case. He offered a farewell message to the Bay Area fans when he joined the Mavericks four months ago and is still plenty beloved here.
“It won’t be that hard, I’m a pro and I know what it takes to win in this league so it won't be very hard,” he said. “I know how to turn the page and focus. That’s why I’ve been able to do what I’ve done for 12 healthy seasons, going on 13. Very blessed."
The questions from Day 1 of Warriors training camp were largely around Thompson's departure and how the Warriors would push forward without Curry's Splash Brother.
They all miss him.
The Warriors have a special “Salute Captain Klay” ceremony planned for before tipoff to pay tribute to Thompson's contributions to the franchise over 11 years. The team said: “Fans are encouraged to arrive early, by land or by sea, for a special pregame salute to the franchise legend.”
“With Klay, it’s not the records or championships or clutch shots that stand out the most from the last 13 years — it’s the truly unique relationship he developed with the Bay Area and our fans,” Warriors President and COO Brandon Schneider said in a statement. “He embraced Dub Nation and Dub Nation embraced him back. Warriors fans have laughed, cried, cheered and celebrated alongside him, and it’s only fitting that they get a chance to show their love and salute him in his return to the Bay.”
Thompson plans to enjoy the moment, and, of course, try to win.
“It's all good, though,” Thompson said. “I'm embracing it. You only get to do one thing so many times in your life.”
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AP Sports Writer Schuyler Dixon contributed to this story.
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