Mavericks’ Klay Thompson Had Uninspired Quote on Return Game Against Warriors

Screengrab on Twitter/ @MikeACurtis2

While many fans are eagerly awaiting the highly anticipated regular-season matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, Klay Thompson doesn’t appear to share the same enthusiasm.

The Mavericks star guard recently fielded questions about his impending return to Chase Center after a historic 13-year run with the Warriors in the Bay. Thompson displayed very little emotion in the Mavs press conference and downplayed his return as “just another game.”

“It’ll be good to see people you grinded with obviously, but to me, it’s just another regular season game in November,” Thompson said. “Obviously there’s bigger implications with the NBA Cup. So that’s what’s on my mind, just to win that because I haven’t been a part of it yet.”

He added that he didn’t think it would be difficult to compartmentalize his emotions when he enters the Warriors’ arena again. “I’ve been doing this a long time, and basketball is basketball,” said Thompson.

Thompson spent over a decade with the Warriors and won four NBA titles (as he’s never shy about telling his opponents) before joining the Mavericks this past offseason. The two-way All-Star is averaging 13.8 points per game and shooting 35.4% from beyond the arc, a slight downtick from his career average.

“I guess it’s a good thing for the fans,” Thompson said of the Warriors’ plans to honor him by giving away captain hats Tuesday night. “Kudos to them.”


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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.