And it didn’t take long for Thompson to prove he should be back to his All-Star self in no time.
The Golden State guard made his season debut Sunday in the Warriors’ 96-82 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was Thompson’s first game since Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals – a span covering 941 days following a torn ACL and Achilles tendon.
“Very special moment,” Thompson said. “I’ll never forget this night. I’ll never forget the reception Warriors fans gave us, especially myself. Gosh, it was fun. It was worth every single day of being away. All the conditioning days, it was worth every single moment. I’m so grateful to just compete again. It’s been a long time. I’m also proud of myself for just persevering. I’m not going to say it was equivalent to winning a championship, but man, it was pretty freaking close.”
Thompson, who was in the starting lineup alongside longtime teammates Steph Curry and Draymond Green, had 17 points, including seven quick points at the start of the third quarter, on 7-for-18 shooting and 3-for-8 on 3-pointers in 20 minutes.
“Wasn’t shy was he? Not that we would ever expect Klay to be shy,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I was amazed at his poise out there and his confidence after being out for so long. … A beautiful night.”
