SAN FRANCISCO – Golden State Warriors swinger Klay Thompson says he “kills” him to lose his second straight season, this time because of an Achilles tear, but the former All-Star says his rehabilitation is good and he still plans on playing “a long time.”
Speaking for the first time since suffering a right Achilles tear that ends in a series, during a training session on November 18, Thompson was in a good mood while discussing the long process he is going through.
“I live well,” Thompson told NBC Bay Area during Saturday night’s game between the Warriors and the Detroit Pistons. “Let me go back to the building where I look forward to playing. Sometimes just a little bored. Things are slow with trying to let my Achilles heal and get to the next stage, which is mobility work, but I’m fine. I’m happy to be with my teammates, obviously.
“Unfortunately, I don’t play. It kills me every day, but I intend to play for a long time and I don’t want misfortune to occur in this rehabilitation.”
Thompson missed the entire 2019-20 season after breaking his ACL in his left knee during Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. The Warriors hoped Thompson could help push the organization back into championship competition, but those dreams evaporated just hours before the 2020 draft, when Thompson injured his Achilles during a training session in Los Angeles.
Equally saddened by the Warriors over Thompson’s latest injury, they are happy to have been on the team longer than he was operated on to repair his Achilles at the end of November. Thompson participated in several Warriors home games at the Chase Center, applauding his teammates on the bench.
Thompson admitted during Saturday’s game that he did not want to do the interview, but that the flag hanging behind him helped him change his mind.
“I didn’t want to do it, but then I saw this background and someone did their best to do it,” Thompson explained as the background with the hashtag #reporterKlay was exposed behind him. “So I felt bad for not fulfilling the end of my deal”
As he did last season during a brief appearance as a secondary reporter, Thompson had a little fun with broadcasters Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike during the broadcast. One of the conversations that arose centered around Thompson’s 3-point record after hitting 14 triples in an October 2018 game against the Chicago Bulls.
“This will probably be broken here in the next few years,” Thompson said. “Steph Curry – it depends on Steph. Zach LaVine was close. But I might break it again, I don’t know. I don’t think it’s going to last that long.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr admitted before Saturday’s game that he did not know that Thompson would play on television, but said he would note his appearance when he watched later.
“He’s always a lot of fun with his dry intelligence,” Kerr said of Thompson. “So when I watch the game box, I’m definitely going to turn up the volume.”