SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson exited the team bus and then beamed as he returned to the Chase Center Tuesday night, welcomed by some 400 enthusiastic Warriors employees who lined his way to the Dallas locker room to show their love and appreciation for the former Golden State star.

After the ball was knocked down a few hours later, Thompson attempted an impromptu shimmy, Stephen Curry style, as the former Splash Brothers fought in different uniforms.

Employees who greeted Thompson wore “Captain Klay” hats, the gift given to all fans during an evening of celebration in memory of his 13 years with the franchise and the four championships he helped win.

“It was really cool,” Thompson said. “I’m so grateful to the employees for giving me this kind of love…totally unexpected and definitely made me smile. Something I will never forget.

Those white hats filled the Chase Center, where video clips of Thompson were shown in a place where he is still loved — and always will be. Curry ran up to Thompson, now wearing No. 31 with teammate Kyrie Irving in No. 11, and offered him a quick hug in his first words of the day before Andrew Wiggins also hugged his former teammate.

“Luckily we were all able to focus on the game and just hoop and compete,” Curry said. “It was an unreal night, that’s for sure, all around.”

Thompson scored 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting with six 3-pointers, but looked Curry shines in the final moments of Golden State’s 120-117 victory. Thompson then greeted a fan and tossed his white headband across the seats, giving one lucky patron an unexpected souvenir.

Earlier, after a brief jump rope routine outside the Mavericks locker room, Thompson ran out of the tunnel and onto the floor to thunderous applause from Warriors fans with their phones raised to capture the moment of Thompson’s return .

“It was a cool moment to feel the energy of the fans,” Thompson said. “Especially all the chatter I heard, it was all positive.”

Curry had considered addressing the crowd before the announcement, but he and Thompson exchanged a few text messages and decided to each focus on the game, even though coach Steve Kerr knew it would be something when They should defend themselves.

Just 15 seconds into the game, Curry fouled Thompson, who scored the game’s first two points on free throws. He missed his first two field goal attempts before making a 3-pointer with 1:26 left in the first quarter.

“I’m so surprised they messaged him on the first play,” Curry said. “I blacked out on that one, I wasn’t going to let him score and I fouled him. It was a pretty special evening.

The Warriors invited all of their employees to be part of the welcoming committee for Thompson, who joined Dallas in July on a three-year, $50 million contract. Thompson, 34, missed more than two and a half years – the entire 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons – recovering from surgeries on his left knee and right Achilles tendon before making his return in January 2022.

“I think what he overcame is almost unprecedented,” Kerr said. “…The last two years after his return, he struggled to balance it all, losing those first few seasons. We all saw him, we saw him emotionally struggle with this. We saw him fight to get his game back. He helped us win a championship, led the league in 3s two years ago, he did a lot of incredible things.

“We wish it would have lasted forever, that Klay would finish his career with us, but circumstances always dictate those things. At the end of the day, I think he made the right choice. I think he needed to ‘a fresh start, I think he needed some sort of a new environment and that was evident last year. He wasn’t happy and it was hard to see, because deep down he is a. very happy person.

Thompson had tried to downplay the magnitude of his return to the Bay Area, dismissing it as just another game in November.

“I hope you all didn’t believe it,” said Curry, who watched the tribute video from the tunnel to get some space from all the emotions.

When the home crowd went crazy, rose in a warm ovation and tipped their captain’s hats during his presentation, Thompson became visibly moved and clearly touched by the tribute. He waved and saluted in several directions.

“I couldn’t imagine a better night,” Curry said.

Golden State held a “Salute to Captain Klay” ceremony before tipoff to honor Thompson’s contributions to the franchise and his tradition of sailing across the bay to attend games. He’ll be back in February during the Mavs’ second trip to Chase Center.

For Kerr, that moment was very different from Thompson’s triumphant return nearly three years ago from injuries and daunting rehab that the veteran guard considered one of the hardest days of his life.

“It was a welcome return, we knew there were lots of good times to come. There was actually a championship six months later,” Kerr said. “This one is obviously more of a goodbye, the first time we see him. …It will seem very strange but it will be a different vibe, more of a thank you and a goodbye and everything you have meant to us. »

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NBA AP: