Inside Klay Thompson’s Emotional Return to Golden State in New Mavericks Role

Klay Thompson’s emotional return to Golden State featured tributes and intense competition, but Stephen Curry's clutch play led the Warriors past the Mavericks in a thrilling finish.

Photo via Rashad Miller

SAN FRANCISCO – Tuesday night at Chase Center was a bittersweet spectacle for Klay Thompson as he returned to the arena he called home for 13 years. Wearing a Dallas Mavericks jersey for the first time in front of the Golden State crowd, Thompson was welcomed back as if he’d never left. Despite a night that celebrated his unforgettable career with the Warriors, the game dealt the Mavs with another disappointing clutch loss—the third in a row—as Stephen Curry's late-game heroics handed them a narrow 120-117 defeat.

The night began with a nod to “Captain Klay.” Hundreds of Warriors employees lined the hallway to the visitors’ locker room, each wearing captain’s hats—a tribute to Thompson’s boating tradition across the Bay. As he entered, fans in the stands echoed the sentiment, many of them also wearing matching hats and his old No. 11 jersey. Some held signs that read, “Thank You, Klay,” honoring the memories he created in Golden State.