The Golden State Warriors have announced a fan giveaway for Tuesday inspired by visiting player Klay Thompson, providing sailor-themed captain’s hats to everyone in attendance at the Chase Center in a “Salute Captain Klay” night.
Thompson, a four-time NBA champion with the Warriors, is an avid sea voyager who frequently took boats onto the San Francisco Bay during his stint living in Northern California.
It is rare for a sports franchise to give such a substantial nod to a visiting player—particularly one who left with a touch of hurt feelings—but the Dallas Mavericks’ summer free-agent signing is a special case.
Following a run of five straight All-Star appearances and three of his four titles, Thompson’s career turned in the 2019 NBA Finals when he tore his ACL, then tore his Achilles in a pickup game in 2020. In total, he missed two-and-a-half NBA seasons.
His role on the Warriors waned thereafter, culminating in him moving from the starting lineup to the bench last season. Thompson took that change hard. “He wasn’t happy anymore,” said longtime teammate Draymond Green on the Club 520 Podcast.
Yet Thompson’s best years were so legendary that the Warriors have no problem highlighting the 3-point sharpshooter in his first return to San Francisco.
At the height of Golden State’s dynasty, Thompson took on a distinct persona separate from co-stars Green and Stephen Curry. On the court, he was the most businesslike among them. Off it, he embraced a laid back, just-another-guy character.
“I wish I was Klay Thompson,” head coach Steve Kerr told ESPN about the Washington State product in 2018. “I envy him. He doesn’t really care what anybody thinks. But the way it manifests itself is so natural and normal. He just loves to play, he loves his days off, he loves getting outside, loves the beach. He’s not low-maintenance. He’s no-maintenance.”
Throughout Thompson’s Warriors tenure, fans loved tracking his social media updates of his boating hobby, along with his adventures alongside his bulldog, Rocco.
On Tuesday night, more than 18,000 people will receive a captain’s hat to commemorate the era.
