LOS ANGELES, United States —
Three-time NBA champion
Klay Thompson will be back on court for the first time
in two and a half years on Sunday when he returns for the
Golden State Warriors against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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Thompson, a five-time All-Star guard, missed
all of the 2019-20 season recovering from a torn ligament in his left knee then
missed the 2020-21 campaign with a ruptured right Achilles tendon.
While it has been clear that Thompson was
poised to return, the Warriors made it official with an Instagram announcement
that featured a clip from Michael Jordan's "Space Jam" movie in which
comedian Bill Murray asks the
NBA icon, "Perhaps I can be of some
assistance."
"How I'm pulling up to Chase
tomorrow," Thompson captioned the video. Then, in all caps, "I'M SO
EXCITED TO SEE Y'ALL DUBNATION. LET'S GET IT."
Knowing Thompson had the big reveal planned,
Warriors coach Steve Kerr dodged questions about his return when he spoke to
reporters after practice on Saturday.
"It's not my announcement to
make," Kerr said.
But Kerr has been giving thought to
Thompson's return, saying in late December that the star shooting guard — who
formed the Warriors' Splash Brothers duo with Stephen Curry — wouldn't be
coming off the bench.
"Klay's going to start when he comes
back," Kerr said. "I'm not going to mess around, bring him off the
bench for a period of time, I'm not doing any of that. He's going to
start."
It's likely to be an emotional night for all
of the Warriors. When Curry broke Ray Allen's all-time record for NBA
three-pointers in December, teammate Draymond Green noted the only thing
missing from the night at Madison Square Garden was Thompson.
The trio played together on title winning
teams in 2015, 2017 and 2018.
Kerr this week discussed what makes Thompson
and Curry such a potent duo.
"I think obviously the shooting for
both of them makes their jobs easier. They each make the other one better by
being such a threat and drawing so much attention.
"Then I think it's really important
that they have the continuity that they have together. Especially when you put
Draymond in the mix," Kerr told ClutchPoints.
How far he has come
Thompson last played in an NBA game on June
13, 2019 in game six of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors.
He tore his left anterior cruciate ligament
when he was fouled by
Danny Green on a dunk attempt. His return to the court to
shoot free throws despite his injured knee were an indelible image from the
Warriors' championship series defeat.
More than 17 months later, Thompson was on
his way back from that injury when he tore his right Achilles tendon in a
pick-up game on November 18, 2020.
Despite his absence so far this season, the
Warriors are jockeying with the Phoenix Suns for best record in the NBA.
While Curry has been largely outstanding,
he's been in a shooting funk for several games that Thompson's return could
help alleviate as the Warriors vie to return to the finals after missing the
playoffs the past two seasons.
The team has seen changes since Thompson
last played.
Kevin Durant departed for Brooklyn as a free agent and the
Warriors have moved from their old Oracle Arena in Oakland to the Chase Center
in San Francisco.
The Warriors can't wait to see him get up to
speed.
"It's crazy what (Klay) has been
through," Kerr said after watching Thompson and Curry practice together on
New Year's Eve.
"Thinking back to the Finals in 2019,
when he was at the absolute peak of his powers before that injury, it's
remarkable to think about what he has been through, how far he has come, and
we're all just so happy that he's where he is now."
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