Thompson on what it feels to be back: 'Pretty freaking close to winning a championship' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: AP - Scanpix Credit AP - Scanpix

It was a roaring welcome for Klay Thompson in the Chase Center. A long-awaited dazzling return was soaked with emotions and tremendous play from the guard.

Klay Thompson

MIN:19.92PTS:17 (38.89%)REB:3As:1ST:0BL:1TO:2GM:1ProfileNBA2021/2022

"I will never forget the reception that Warriors fans gave us, especially myself," Thompson said after the match.

"Gosh it was fun and it was worth every single day of being away and in that squat rack or on that shuttle board and all the conditioning days. It was worth every single moment," the splash brother expressed.

What does it feel like to come back after missing two-and-a-half years of the thing you love most? "I am not going to say equivalent to winning a championship, but man, it was pretty freaking close," Thompson told the reporters.

It only took Thompson 40 seconds to score his first points after returning to court. Starting off with a pretty simple layup, Klay later provided a thunderous posterizer in the second quarter.

"To know that I can still do that [dunk] and being able to just get to my spots and rise up and shoot? It's only up from here," Thompson said.

Although physically ready, it took some time for Thompson to get his shot back and feel the rhythm though.

"I did not shoot as well as I wanted to, but I am just so happy that I can even look at the stat sheet and see my name there and all the stats again," the guard commented.

Even Thompson's teammates felt ecstatic about his return. Draymond Green wanted to start the game alongside his teammate even if injured and took a quick foul just to be in the moment together.

"I got to feel that energy when he got out there," the fellow superstar Stephen Curry said. "The first four shots he made, I had to catch myself. It felt like the game. Everybody was going nuts."

In the locker room after the match, Curry's son, Canon, handed the game ball to Thompson as well. Later on, Klay just sat there looking at the stats soaking the moment in, making sure everything is real.

"That was special. I knew it was going to be electric tonight. I tried to visualize this moment for years really.," Thompson said. "Gosh it was worth every second."

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