Klay Thompson's return to Golden State was spoiled by his former Splash Brother, Stephen Curry, but before then, the Dallas Mavericks' sharpshooter was having fun. Thompson finished the game with 22 points and shot 6-of-12 from three, and after one of his shots, he did a shimmy down the sideline, reminiscent of Curry.
After the game, Thompson was asked about hitting the shimmy after his shot.
“It was an impromptu thing, but when you're feeling it you do stuff instinctually,” Thompson said. “I've done it before, Steph has done it many times, so it was fun. It was a playful thing to do. I'm kind of surprised I did it, it was a great shot and I'll probably do it again sometime in the future. I play my best brand of basketball when I’m loose.”
Curry has been known to pull out that celebration through the years, and players have used it against him when they're facing the Warriors. During this postgame interview, Curry was asked what was he thinking when he saw Thompson do the shimmy dance.
“He knows better than that,” Curry said jokingly.
It was a great battle between both teams at the end, but Curry came alive in the clutch just like he always has and hit a dagger three-pointer to put the game away.
Klay Thompson's return to Golden State spoiled
Before the game started, Klay Thompson was greeted by over 400 Warriors employees, who cheered for him while he made his way to the locker room. During player introductions, the Warriors played an emotional tribute for Thompson as well, which showed some of his best moments with the team over the years.
“That was really cool,” Thompson said. “I’m very grateful for the employees to give me that kind of love … totally unexpected and definitely put a smile on my face. Something I’ll never forget.
“It was a cool moment to feel the energy from the fans. Especially all the chatter that I heard, it was all positive.”
After the game, Draymond Green spoke about his relationship with Thompson and if he still keeps in contact with him even though he's moved on to another team.
“You ever try to keep in touch with Klay,” Green said. “It’s very one-sided. The love is there. The relationship is there.”
Thompson will always be remembered for what he brought to the Warriors, and every time he comes to play in the arena, they”ll always make sure to shower him with love.