Steph reveals her favorite memory of Klay from their iconic partnership originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Steph Curry has made many timeless memories with his former Warriors teammate Klay Thompson.
And with the 34-year-old Splash Brother recently joining the Dallas Mavericks, Curry has nothing but time to reflect on the good times he had with Thompson during their 13-year partnership with Golden State.
Curry, 36, revealed his favorite Warriors Thompson memory in a exclusive interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic.
“[On the call with Thompson]I was talking about his [Jan. 9, 2022] game when he returned from his [Achilles] injury against Cleveland [Cavaliers] two years ago [at Chase Center]and the reception the crowd gave him when he walked onto the court for pregame filming and I was already there taking shots wearing my old Klay Thompson sleeve jersey,” Curry told Amick.
“It’s him walking on the court, the crowd going crazy. He arrived early and [the scene] I was elevating him because he understood. He was back in his element, back in his zone, after being away from the game for so long.”
That Warriors-Cavaliers game it was Thompson’s first since tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors and tearing his right Achilles tendon during the offseason heading into the 2020-21 season.
It was an emotional night for Thompson, the Warriors and all of Dub Nation, as the sharpshooter was not only suiting up for the first time after recovering from two consecutive season-ending injuries, but also because he was making his debut at Chase Center. practically helped build San Francisco.
Until that inspiring January night, Thompson last played when the Warriors still called Oracle Arena in Oakland home. And while Golden State’s court location may have changed since the last time the five-time NBA All-Star played, Curry recalled that the crowd’s reception of Thompson was louder than ever.
“The way the crowd reacted to him says everything about his relationship with the Bay Area,” Curry told Amick. “He was shooting before the game and they were applauding like it was the middle of the fourth quarter every time he made a shot. And I’m trying to keep a straight face, but I ended up becoming a fan at that point.
“We can all talk about all the amazing games he had, or Game 6 Klay, all that kind of stuff. But this was my favorite [memory] just because, in a very difficult time, he reminded everyone how important he was to the entire franchise and this entire journey.”
Four NBA championships later, it’s clear to everyone what Thompson meant to Curry and the entire Bay Area sports scene.
But that Warriors-Cavaliers game, in particular, encompasses how Curry will remember his teammate’s legacy with Golden State.
After all, Thompson made a statement in his return by scoring 17 points with an electric poster who ruled social media.
Curry had plenty of memories to choose from, but as always, he didn’t miss this one.
