D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
Then came the dunk: Klay Thompson, San Francisco, January 10 (local time)
It took almost three years before Klay Thompson was allowed to wear the jersey of the Golden State Warriors again in a game of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A cruciate ligament tear and an Achilles tendon rupture caused the 31-year-old to be forced to take a long break. His return to the basketball court on January 10 against the Cleveland Cavaliers is already considered one of the emotional highlights of this basketball year.
After the game, Thompson said how good it felt to read your name on a match report again. He contributed 17 points to the Warriors’ 96-82 win. While the audience in San Francisco was already euphoric about the comeback of their favorite, a spectacular dunk by Thompson finally caused hysteria to break out in the Chase Center: »Klay! Klay!” rang out deafeningly from the ranks.
“It was just incredible to have him out there again,” said colleague Stephen Curry in an interview after the game. Curry and Thompson, a congenial duo, are now simply called the “Splash Brothers” because of their shooting skills. Together, they led Golden State to three championships and five straight Finals between 2015 and 2019. With the return of Thompson, the Warriors are considered one of the big title favorites this year.
Thompson’s playing time is still limited to around 20 minutes per game by the coaching and medical team. “If you ask me, of course I’d like to play 40 minutes every night right now,” Thompson said at a press conference last week. And showed reason: “I’m not an expert in this field and therefore trust our medical staff. It’s important that I’m in top form for the playoffs.«
He has been on the pitch for six games since his return. It will be a while before Thompson gets back to his old form. However, she was incorruptible. In 2015, he set an NBA record when he scored 37 points in a quarter against the Sacramento Kings. No one else can run as hot as he does. Thompson’s presence can already be felt, and the opposing defense must now concentrate on another excellent thrower alongside Stephen Curry.
And don’t forget the human side: The shooting guard is considered one of the most popular players in the entire NBA due to his authenticity. “If you don’t like Klay, then there’s something wrong with you,” said journalist Howard Beck on the occasion of the comeback in the podcast Crossover. “He seems like a normal guy who’s also a real killer on the field,” NBA expert Zach Lowe said in his podcast about Thompson.
It’s the mixture of approachability, a slightly offbeat coolness and his skills on the court that guarantees Thompson the favor of the fans. After all, the game between the Warriors and Cleveland was the most-watched since 2016, according to Beck.
In addition, Thompson’s view of basketball, in contrast to many other colleagues, obviously lacks any cynicism. One of Lowe’s anecdotes about Thompson bears witness to this: “The Warriors’ sporting executives have often tried to get Klay to provoke more fouls. However, he repeatedly refused; it’s just not his way of playing basketball.”
