Klay Thompson on Friday returned to his first practice for the Golden State Warriors since injuring his knee last year.
Thompson suffered a torn ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals and did not play this season for Golden State.
The team held a workout on Friday, and Thompson participated. The Warriors shared a video of Thompson practicing, showing him doing a layup, shooting shots, and participating in a scrimmage.
Thompson is a five-time All-Star and three-time NBA champion. The 30-year-old shooting guard has been a big part of the Warriors’ success over the last 10 years. Without him or Steph Curry available for nearly the entire season, the Warriors had the worst record in the league at 15-50. Getting Curry and Thompson back should position them for success next season.
Additionally, Golden State will have the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft. We already have an idea of whom they won’t be selecting.
Just over a year since tearing his ACL during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, Klay Thompson has just about made it all the way back.
The Golden State Warriors guard has received full medical clearance to work out without restriction, and has been ramping up his activity in recent weeks, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Thompson has been working out in Los Angeles and Oakland in a bid to get his body back into game shape. He has taken part in 3-on-0 and 5-on-0 drills in an attempt to simulate playing in a game.
The guard has no specific games to train for. The Warriors won’t be taking part in the NBA’s restart, and we don’t know when next season will start yet. It is possible that if there is some sort of offseason minicamp for non-participants in the restart, Thompson could participate in that.
The 30-year-old will ideally be able to recover his usual shooting stroke once he’s back in action. Thompson’s father said the guard would have little trouble being ready for 2020-21, and this certainly backs that assertion.
Kobe Bryant died on January 26, but his legacy lives on strong.
Klay Thompson shared photos on Instagram Live Friday of his copy of “The Mamba Mentality“, which is Bryant’s book. Thompson called the book his “basketball bible”. He also called it the “greatest gift” he ever received.
Bryant also signed the book for Thompson along with a simple four-word message: “rings, rings, rings, rings …”
Bryant was obsessed with winning and ended up collecting five championship rings during his playing career. He would stop at nothing in his quest to win. He was trying to impart that winning mentality to others across the basketball world, as well as other fields.
Thompson has won three championships as a member of the Golden State Warriors and is a five-time All-Star. He and Kobe had a good relationship; Bryant also sent Klay a great autographed jersey in 2016.
Thompson is very clearly was moved by the inspiration Bryant left him.
Klay Thompson is roughly ten months removed from his torn left ACL, but he appears to be nearing the finish line in his rehab.
In an interview this week on 95.7 The Game, Klay’s father Mychal provided an update on the Golden State Warriors sharpshooter and his health.
“He’s feeling good, he’s working out on his own,” said Mychal. “He’s doing all of his drills, says he feels good. He walks around without any kind of limp, no soreness. So he says he’s feeling great, and he’ll be ready to go at full speed next year.”
The 30-year-old Thompson suffered the injury in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against Toronto on June 13 last year. The Warriors’ NBA-worst record this season and the subsequent suspension of play due to the coronavirus pandemic have enabled Thompson to take his time in getting healthy.
The team was optimstic about Thompson’s health even before the season was suspended, so they should have their way two-way star back in the lineup and ready to roll whenever the 2020-21 campaign begins.
Mychal Thompson thinks that the Golden State Warriors’ dynamic backcourt duo could still be terrorizing NBA defenses for a long time to come.
This week on Dell and Sonya Curry’s “Raising Fame” podcast, Thompson discussed his son Klay’s bond with fellow Splash Brother Stephen Curry.
“Klay loves playing with Steph,” said the elder Thompson. “He respects him so much, talks about him all the time, about how hard he works, how dedicated he is to the game and to his family … He loves playing with Steph, he wants to retire as a Warrior in another ten years. He wants to go into the Hall of Fame along with Steph. That’s how close he feels to him and how honored he is to play with him. They’ve really formed a special bond.
“That’s why I told him, ‘Even though you’re probably gonna miss this year, I think you and Steph still have eight years together as long as you guys take care of your body,'” Mychal added.
Curry and Thompson have already been together for nine seasons in Golden State, a stretch that has produced five NBA Finals appearances and three championships. The 2019-20 campaign was marred by injury for both of them, but the Warriors are expected to return to title contention once the Splash Brothers are fully healthy.
Since their games are more reliant on sweet shooting rather than athleticism, Curry and Thompson should indeed be able to have long NBA careers, health permitting. They have already inspired entire generations of young ballers, so who knows how much more they will be able to do in another eight years.
It’s 2020 and people walk around with mini-computers in their pockets, but people are now thinking Klay Thompson is not part of that movement.
NBC Sports Bay Area Warriors reporter Kerith Burke shared on Sunday night that Thompson confirmed he only has a flip phone:
The whole thing started when Zaza Pachulia shared a video last month of Klay on a flip phone at his Washington State jersey retirement ceremony.
The video and tweet had many believing that Thompson is stuck in the Stone Age or something and hasn’t joined the smart phone movement. But is that really the case? It can’t be.
Thompson’s Twitter account has sent tweets before showing his device to be an iPhone, though it’s possible that tweet could have been sent by someone running his account. However, Thompson has even said before that he is an iPhone guy.
So what’s the story with the flip? Some new phones are coming out as smart devices, like the Galaxy Z flip. It’s also possible that Thompson has a few different phones for different purposes, and the flip is one of those phones. But that’s something associated with the older generation, which is why the story generated some laughs and crazy looks.
Andre Iguodala on Monday returned to the Bay Area to face his former team for the first time since they traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Iguodala, who was traded by Memphis to Miami last week, received a tribute video from the Warriors ahead of their game with Iguodala’s Heat.
Iguodala also spoke to the crowd to express his gratitude to them for their support. Prior to Iguodala addressing the crowd, Klay Thompson spoke to the fans before turning the microphone over to Iguodala.
How did Thompson get that assignment? He and Steph Curry played rock paper scissors to determine who would receive the honor.
If you’re Iguodala, you have to be a little peeved over this video. Those two guys had to play a game where the loser would have to introduce him? They should only have been too thrilled to speak positively about their former teammate.
Iguodala played with the Warriors for six seasons and won three championships with them.
Klay Thompson is working his way back from an ACL tear, and the Golden State Warriors won’t close the door on him playing this season despite the team being a non-factor in the playoff race.
Warriors GM Bob Myers told ABC’s Lisa Salters that Thompson would play if he was cleared despite no real competitive reason to get him on the court.
“I think there’s a chance,” Myers said, via Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area. “We’re going to have an update probably around All-Star break. But like Steph, if they’re healthy and they’re cleared, they’ll play. But if they’re not, obviously we’re not going to play them.”
Thompson tore his ACL in the final game of last year’s NBA Finals. There’s no timetable for his return. The likelihood is still that he simply doesn’t play this season. That’s what they said back in October, and the team has 12 wins and isn’t actually competing for anything but a lottery pick. Still, Thompson hates sitting out, so no matter the circumstances, he’ll push to play as soon as he is able.
Klay Thompson may be sidelined for the Golden State Warriors currently as he rehabs from a torn ACL, but his strong feelings about the Houston Rockets have not dissipated.
The Warriors beat the Rockets 116-104 in a primetime game on Christmas Wednesday. The teams have been rivals in the Western Conference the past few years, which explains why Thompson and Steph Curry were so pumped to see their team prevail.
According to ESPN reporter Mark Schwarz, Thompson was even yelling after the win about how happy he was.
“I’m so happy we beat them, man. Bleep them. I’m sick of the Rockets!” Thompson said, according to Schwarz.
During their run of five straight NBA Finals appearances from 2015-2019, the Warriors eliminated the Rockets from the postseason four times, including twice in the conference finals. The rivalry between the teams truly heated up two seasons ago when Houston proclaimed they would have beaten Golden State in the conference finals with a healthy Chris Paul. Prior to that season, Rockets GM Daryl Morey talked frequently about their focus on toppling Golden State. Given how much Houston has targeted them, it’s no wonder the Warriors are thrilled to beat them — especially at less than full strength.
One of the best parts about Charles Barkley is that he’s not out to just talk trash for grandstanding purposes. He means what he says and will tell it to your face, even if you’re an NBA All-Star.
Prior to the start of Thursday night’s LA Clippers-Golden State Warriors game, Barkley said on TNT’s pregame show that he thought the Warriors would be a 7th or 8th seed in the Western Conference playoffs. He was toying with the idea of saying they would miss the playoffs entirely, but was not willing to go that far.
Well, after watching the Warriors play in the first half against the Clippers, Barkley changed his opinion. Chuck told Klay Thompson, who is recovering from a torn ACL, that the Warriors’ window is shut. Barkley also said the Warriors wouldn’t make the playoffs.
Thompson said Barkley had the right to be pessimistic, but the Warriors guard expressed confidence in the team’s young players.
“I think it’s exciting. I think we’ve got enough guys to get us there at least,” Thompson said.
Steve Kerr said this week that he was not expecting to have Thompson back this season. So if Golden State does make the playoffs, it might be playing the entire year without Thompson. The real challenge is that the West is so stacked with talent, it will be hard to beat out all the competition.
