Danny Green Has High Praise for Klay Thompson

The last time Golden State Warriors star guard Klay Thompson played a game, the NBA was quite different. The COVID-19 pandemic hadn't started. The Toronto

The last time Golden State Warriors star guard Klay Thompson played a game, the NBA was quite different. The COVID-19 pandemic hadn't started. The Toronto Raptors haven't been crowned champions yet, and Danny Green was still a couple of years away from joining the Philadelphia 76ers.

At the time, the veteran two-way contributor was a member of the Raptors after his long stint with the San Antonio Spurs. Green was chasing down his second championship, and in the process of hunting a block during the NBA Finals in 2019, Green accidentally played a part in Klay Thompson's first major injury.

As Green fouled Thompson on the play, it was nothing more than a hard foul that resulted in an unfortunate landing, which caused Thompson's knee to buckle. Unfortunately, Thompson tore his ACL and was off the court the next season. 

Thompson was finally ready to return and make his 2020-2021 NBA seasonal debut early on last year, but he suffered another significant setback as he tore his Achilles during an offseason workout. The Warriors guard went on to miss the entire 2020-2021 NBA season.

The Return of Klay

The Golden State Warriors played their first 38 games of the 2021-2022 season without Klay Thompson on the court. While the veteran guard has been practicing with the team and getting some run in with Golden State's G League affiliate, it wasn't until Sunday night when Thompson returned to the court for the first time since that unfortunate fall in the 2019 NBA Finals. 

Ahead of Thompson's return after his unwanted two-season hiatus, Sixers veteran Danny Green praised the "true warrior" for his ability to overcome challenging obstacles and make his way back out onto the court.

"For him to get back, it took a lot of persistence, man," Green told Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes. "It took resilience. He's a great player, so I never doubted that. He's a true warrior, no pun intended. A lot of people, including myself and the fans, are excited that he's back. We've all been looking forward to seeing Klay be the Klay that we have known him to be."

Thompson started in his first game back and checked in for 20 minutes. During that time, he had an impressive showing as he scored 17 points while collecting three rebounds and an assist. While Thompson's still getting his feet wet after spending the last two years battling back from multiple injuries, the NBA is excited to see the Warriors guard back in action as the league truly missed his presence.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.