'I think I dropped a couple tears': Reactions after Klay Thompson’s Golden State Warriors departure

After 13 seasons and four championship rings with the Golden State Warriors, Klay Thompson is headed to the Dallas Mavericks. Thompson was a pillar of Golden State’s success for so long that he’s prompted some notable reactions from NBA players and fans after his decision became official.

Fans were wondering what Stephen Curry’s response to Klay Thompson’s departure would be, and it came in a heartfelt social media post. Sports Illustrated calls them easily the best shooting backcourt in NBA history.

Curry wrote, “Even though we won’t finish the journey together, what he did will never be done again. Changed the whole Bay Area. Changed the way the game is played. Killa Klay at the center of it all. Thank you for everything bro. Go enjoy playing basketball and doing what you do. Splash Bros 4 life, my guy.”

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Longtime teammate Draymond Green also weighed in on Thompson’s departure, and went into a little more of the timeline of events on his podcast. Green said that Thompson told him and Curry about what was going to happen the week before, and the talented trio started to reminisce about all they had accomplished in their careers together.

Green also revealed that he may have gotten emotional after the news. “I may have dropped a couple tears,” he said.

The Warriors released a statement after the news became official. “The amount of joy and happiness that Klay provided Warriors fans, Bay Area natives and Dub Nation supporters all around the world has been immense and cannot be minimized… Klay’s legacy will live on forever and we look forward to the day we can retire his #11 jersey at Chase Center.”

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Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley went up against Thompson and Golden State in many important games, and took to social media to express his thoughts. “What a ride they had. Steph, Klay and Draymond never thought it would end. They changed the game.”

NBC Sports Bay Area has covered the reaction of Warriors fans in the Bay Area. They recount a time where Thompson parked his boat near a restaurant called “The Ramp”. The owner of “The Ramp,” Arvind Patel, told Thompson “Listen, you’re Klay, well known, famous, everyone loves you. You can park here anytime you want.”

Popular podcaster Big Cat from Barstool Sports thinks that Thompson is going to have a huge chip on his shoulder with the Mavericks. Big Cat wrote on X, “I’m buying Klay revenge stock.”

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ESPN wrote a story detailing the last few months of Thompson’s tenure with the Warriors. They wrote that the future Hall of Fame guard was “miserable” down the stretch of this season, as he believed he wasn’t given the level of respect he deserved after what he had accomplished with the franchise.