By Gabryela Reynoso

Jan. 11, 2022

SAN JOSE, CALIF. — After more than two years, Klay Thompson returns to the court, back and better than ever.

On Sunday, Jan. 9, fans at the San Francisco Chase Center were fortunate enough to see the comeback game of the beloved Thompson after being gone for more than two seasons. According to The New York Times, his absence was due to two separate injuries involving  “tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in Game 6 of the 2019 N.B.A. finals, then rupturing his right Achilles’ tendon before the start of last season.” 

However, after the numerous amounts of physical therapy Thompson’s injuries forced him to endure, several individuals presume that Thompson’s hard work was immensely in his favor. “When Klay had perfect knees and Achilles’, I don’t remember him dunking like that,” recalls Kevon Looney, a fellow teammate for the Golden State Warriors. 

Further on in Sunday’s game, Thompson proved his efforts to jump back into action by dunking over Jarrett Allen, a player for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors Twitter Account later posted the clip with the caption, “this belongs in a museum.” The game ended with a score of 96-82 and a win for the Golden State Warriors; Thompson scoring a total of 17 points in 20 minutes. “I’m proud of myself for persevering,” Thompson said, “It’s only up from here.”

Although Thompson is reaping the rewards of the victory, his accomplishments were produced from the hard work he put in in the past two-plus years in physical rehabilitation. Overall, Thompson’s road to recovery was tough especially when he had to witness his team moving on without him at times.

 As stated in an article published by The New York Times, “In late November, after Golden State won another game without him, he draped a towel over his head as the arena emptied out, and remained on the bench by himself for about a half-hour.” With the Warriors being a common team of interest, it was hard to see people raving about their recent accomplishments, while he worked off the court to get back into the condition he once was, “I try not to revisit those times,” Thompson states, adding: “I’m lucky I play in the era I do because technology and science have allowed athletes to come back better than ever.”

Overall, Warriors fans, staff, and players are all ecstatic to see Thompson back on the court. One Silver Creek student and Warriors fan, Harleen Mand says, “Klay is a great shooter and that the team did good while he was out, but now he’s ready to get back into the game and make it a good year.”