In a surprising turn of events, the Golden State Warriors, during their 109-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night, decided to bench Klay Thompson, the four-time NBA champion who has helped take the Dubs franchise to heights they've never reached, in favor of Gui Santos to close out the game. Thompson is a proud man, and he knows he can play at a much better level than he has done for most of the 2023-24 season, and it was clear that he wasn't too pleased with how things went.

Thompson has been through plenty of humbling moments over the past two seasons. He struggled mightily during the Warriors' 2023 playoff run, and this season, he's been struggling in a way he hasn't since his first two seasons in the NBA. But being benched for an unheralded rookie may be the last straw, and it's clear that the Warriors guard's morale level is in the mud.

“Yeah, [it's an adjustment]. You kidding me? To go from one of the best players… it’s hard for anybody. I'll be honest with you. […] I'm not gonna be mad. I'm happy for these young guys, honestly. And yeah, we won. It's hard to get wins in this league,” Thompson said in his postgame presser, via Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

During the interview, however, it was clear that Klay Thompson's body language was giving all sorts of sad vibes. His eyes, in particular, looked like they were about to burst into tears at any given moment. And Warriors fans, who have grown accustomed to Thompson's confident, gunslinging ways for the past decade or so, are getting hit hard by the reality that the Thompson is having to come to grips with the fact that he's on a decline.

Here are some reactions of sadness to Thompson's comments on not closing out the Warriors' win over the Nets:

“I feel bad for Klay tbh.” – @GSWarriorsHouse

“This is so sad you can just see it in his face man.” – @redemptionpicks

“My dude needs a hug fr.” – @thatdudekb

“Klay Thompson forever. A Warrior’s legend. He will come out of the funk and when he does the rest of the league better look out.” – @aferg64