SAN FRANCISCO – Golden State Warriors swinger Klay Thompson says he “kills” him to lose his second straight season, this time due to an Achilles tear, but the former All-Star says his rehabilitation will come in handy and he still plans on playing for “a long time”.
Speaking for the first time since suffering a right Achilles tear that ended in series during a workout on Nov. 18, Thompson was in a good mood as he discussed the lengthy process he faces.
“I live well,” Thompson told NBC Bay Area during Saturday night’s game between the Warriors and the Detroit Pistons. “Being back in the building I really want to play. Sometimes I just get a little bored. Things are slow trying to let my Achilles heal and get to the next stage, which is the mobility, but I’m happy to be with my teammates, obviously.
“Unfortunately, I’m not playing. It kills me every day, but I plan to play for a long time and I don’t want to have any setbacks in this rehab.”
Thompson missed the entire 2019-20 season after breaking his ACL in his left knee during the 6th game of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. The Warriors hoped Thompson could help push the organization toward the championship dispute, but those dreams evaporated just hours before the 2020 draft when Thompson injured the Achilles during a training session in Los Angeles.
As saddened as the Warriors are by Thompson’s latest injury, they are happy he has been closer to the team since he underwent surgery to fix his Achilles in late November. Thompson has been in several Warriors home games at the Chase Center cheering on his teammates from the bench.
Thompson admitted during Saturday’s game that he did not want to do the interview, but that the banner hanging behind him helped him change his mind.
“I didn’t want to do that, but then I saw that backdrop and someone made a big effort to make that happen,” Thompson explained as he was shown the background with the hashtag #reporterKlay behind it. “So I felt bad for not fulfilling my end of the deal.”
As he did last season during a brief appearance as a secondary reporter, Thompson had some fun with broadcasters Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike during the broadcast. One of the conversations that arose focused on Thompson’s 3-point record, after he hit 14 triples in an October 2018 game against the Chicago Bulls.
“That will probably break here in the next few years,” Thompson said. “Steph Curry: It depends on Steph. Zach LaVine was close. But maybe I’ll break it again, I don’t know. I don’t think that’s going to last that long.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr admitted before Saturday’s game that he didn’t know Thompson would go on TV, but said he would take note of the appearance when he saw it later.
“He’s always very entertaining with his dry wit,” Kerr said of Thompson. “So when I see the game tape, I’ll definitely turn up the volume.”