Outside of winning championships and becoming one of the greatest 3-point shooters of all time, Klay Thompson was often happiest on the Warriors when he was on the water — driving his sport fishing boat across the bay to practice or games.
Thompson, who became an icon in the Bay Area after winning four championships in eight years, left this summer for uncharted waters in Dallas. Injuries, the mental aspect of reckoning with his basketball mortality, and the weight of dealing with a lesser role drove him to seek a fresh start elsewhere.
Thompson remains one of the Bay Area’s favorite sons. And he’s returning on Nov. 12 to one of the most creative welcomings in NBA history.
Most teams embrace a former player when they return with a tribute video. They might give away a themed shirt or towel as well. The Warriors are doing that, to be sure, but are also tailoring the night toward Thompson’s aquatic adventures by handing out a captain’s hat to every fan in attendance, playing a special pregame tribute video and clearing out for Steph Curry to say a few words. Employees also plan on greeting Thompson by saluting their caps to him when he arrives at the Chase Center.
“This might be the most emotional, impactful homecoming that will ever happen,” Warriors president and chief operating officer Brandon Schneider said. “Not just for the Warriors, but for anybody, given the history that he’s had. We spent quite a bit of time thinking about the proper way to honor Klay Thompson.”
The team is encouraging fans to arrive early for the anticipated matchup between the Mavericks and Warriors at the Chase Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. for the NBA Cup in-season tournament game, right after a special pregame salute.
Thompson spent the first 13 years of his career with the Warriors. The fan base fell in love with his eclectic personality and fierce competitiveness. He reached the highest of mountaintops and back-to-back catastrophic injuries sunk him to the lowest of nadirs — only for him to pull himself up, lead the league in 3-pointers and help Golden State to a fourth title.
As a Warrior, Thompson set the single-game 3-point record. He scored an iconic 37-point quarter. He saved the Warriors with 11 3s in Game 6 of the 2016 conference final. He dropped 60 points in 29 minutes.
The five-time All-Star ranks sixth in NBA history in 3-point makes and has played the most playoff games and minutes in Warriors franchise history. He grew up from a rookie out of Washington State into one of the most beloved players in franchise history in front of Warriors fans’ eyes.
Next to Steph Curry, Thompson helped form the greatest shooting backcourt the sport will ever see as the Splash Bros. In the team’s press release announcing the “Salute Captain Klay” night, they attached a video of Curry tipping his boating captain’s hat into a camera.
The Warriors, namely Curry and Draymond Green, had hoped Thompson would stay and finish his career as a Warrior, but Thompson decided to unburden himself from his historic run with the franchise.
“Gonna miss you, (Klay),” Curry wrote on Instagram when Thompson signed with the Mavericks. “Even though we won’t finish the journey together, what we did will never be done again. Couldn’t have imagined a better run with you and (Draymond Green). Changed the whole Bay Area. Changed the way the game is played. Killa Klay at the center of it all. Thank you for everything bro.”
Knowing how much Thompson meant to the organization, the Warriors’ marketing and public relations teams began brainstorming ideas shortly after Thompson departed in July. After batting around several ideas, vice president of marketing and operations Kimberly Trinidad pitched the captain’s hats and they ran with it.
“It’s just so authentic, right?” Schneider said. “When people see the hat, they’re going to know immediately. Everyone knows his thing. This wasn’t a gimmicky thing for him…he loves the water so much.”
The Warriors got approval from the league to slightly extend pregame proceedings. They’re planning on announcing the first four Mavericks in pregame introductions then playing their minute-long tribute video for Thompson, giving fans the opportunity to salute him. Then they’ll announce Thompson and his splash brother will take the microphone at center court to say a few words.
“He’s earned this recognition,” Schneider said. “It’s going to be an emotional night for him, I’m sure. For our team…Klay has been a part of our organization for 13 years, it’s going to be an emotional night for all of us. And then, of course, the fans. Giving the fans the opportunity to be a part of thanking Klay and acknowledging him in a way that’s so deserved. And then we’ve got a basketball game.”
The game, following the festivities, is expected to be intense as well. The Warriors have started 7-1 and the Mavericks, who won the West last year, are 5-3. Green has said he wants to run through Thompson’s chest and Gary Payton II said he’s excited to kick his ass. After the video ends and Curry wraps up his speech, the Warriors aren’t going to treat Thompson differently from other opponents. Thompson will always be a Warriors hero, but once the ball starts bouncing, he’ll be in their way.
“We could have done half an hour, by the way, with all the memories,” Schneider said of the video. “But the balance of it is like the right timing. If you do too much or make it too short — we want to make it enough substance but not too long. And this is longer than you’d typically do, obviously, but this is a different situation.”
