As his name was introduced last in the Golden State Warriors’ starting lineup, Klay Thompson sat in his seat, stared ahead and soaked everything in.
This moment, including one of Chase Center’s loudest roars ever, was 941 days in the making.
After a nearly 31-month layoff that stretched both his physical and mental limits, the beloved Warriors star guard made his long-awaited return to the floor from separate ACL and Achilles injuries and scored 17 points in 20 minutes in a 96-82 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The entire night was a Bay Area celebration of Thompson, who was feted with a hero’s welcome.
“I will never forget the reception that Warriors fans gave us, especially myself,” Thompson said. “Gosh it was fun and it was worth every single day of being away and in that squat rack or on that shuttle board and all the conditioning days. It was worth every single moment.
“I am not going to say equivalent to winning a championship,” Thompson added of what this night felt like. “But man, it was pretty freaking close.”
