31-year-old Klay Thompson is widely regarded as one of the greatest shooters to ever walk the earth.
And as the world waits impatiently for his return to the court, the Golden State Warriors are doing everything they can to keep themselves afloat in his absence.
Looking back on the injuries that cost him two full seasons, Klay spoke about the challenge of coping and dealing with the ordeal.
“For me, when it happened, it was hard to digest for a few months,” Thompson said. “It was hard, man. I can’t even lie to you, it was really really hard. Especially the second time around. The first time, I accepted it. Championship game, five-straight finals, stuff happens. The second time was just so unexpected. It was a week before the season. I was training so hard for like a year, year and a half actually.
It sucked, it was like the darkest days of my life really. It’s because I love basketball so much. It’s my source, really. Just like the ocean, basketball has been my source since I was a child. That was a big test of my mental health, I learned a lot about how to stay mentally healthy through my rehabs. If there was a silver lining, that was it.”
Klay suffered his first major injury in the 2019 Finals when he tore his ACL in Game six against Toronto.
He was set to make his return the very next season before suffering a heartbreaking Achilles tear just weeks before opening night.
It remains to be seen when Thompson will return, or what his game will look like when he does, but there is no doubt that he can help elevate the Warriors to new heights in the West.
During his last full season, he averaged 19.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game on 45.9% shooting.
