Perhaps this is the best way to sum up the momentous nature of Klay Thompson’s long-awaited appearance on the court Sunday: It’s yet to happen but it’s already the most significant and emotional return here by any player or coach since the Golden State Warriors came to be 50 years ago.
It’s that personal.
For Klay. For the Warriors. And, especially, for their fans.
Whether you measure Thompson’s absence on the court in days (941), months (31) or years (2 ½), it will add up to pent-up emotion like never seen before for Warriors fans when Klay faces the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday night at Chase Center.
Warriors radio analyst Jim Barnett, who was a guard on the first Golden State team in 1971-72 and is now in his fourth decade as one of its broadcasters, has been here for scores of impassioned Bay Area basketball reunions. He can’t remember ever being as excited as he is to hear the defeaning roar of the crowd and feel the joy when Thompson steps on the court after missing two full seasons with serious injuries.
“I think it’s gonna be awesome and I can’t wait,” Barnett said during a phone call this week. “Klay, the team and the fans, they all feel connected over this. I think the crowd is gonna be overloaded and amped up.
“I’m a sentimental guy. I guarantee it, I’ll get tears in my eyes.”
He won’t be alone. A whole lot of eyes will be filled with tears of joy while watching the beloved Thompson’s return. They’ll finally get to properly show him the compassion and admiration they’ve felt for him throughout his long, dogged journey back.
Mostly, though, it will be a chance for fans to remind Thompson their love for him runs deeper than merely an appreciation for his ability to bury jump shots.
“It’s Klay’s personality, in my estimation, that makes him so popular,” Barnett said. “He’s pure. He’s transparent. What you see in him is what you get. Klay just eats, sleeps, bleeds basketball. That’s his whole life. Not everybody is that dedicated. Not everyone has that in their heart and soul.
“He’s genuine. It’s nice to have people in sports who are genuine. Not everybody is like that.”
Thompson’s comeback is both the latest and greatest since the Warriors’ Golden State era began with a move from San Francisco to Oakland. But it’s hardly the only homecoming steeped in emotion for the Warriors’ fanbase over the years.
The Bay Area crowd’s level of affection has always depended upon whether the departed players or coaches were gone because they were injured, traded, fired or just left of their own volition. For our purposes, the Warriors fans’ degree of adoration scale runs from Klay to Chris Webber, the most villainous of the returning local heroes.
We’ve identified 10 of their fans’ most anticipated Golden State comebacks over the past 50 years. We’ve included Steph Curry, another Splash Brother who returned from an injury, on our list. The list also features popular men who eventually made the Hall of Fame (Rick Barry, Nate Thurmond, Chris Mullin, Mitch Richmond and Don Nelson), fan favorites (Baron Davis, Jason Richardson) as well as another Hall of Famer (Webber) who never seemed to be forgiven for running afoul of Warriors fans early in his career.
There’s another very intriguing reunion set for Jan. 29, when Kevin Durant makes his first appearance in front of Warriors fans since leaving for Brooklyn 2 ½ years ago.
Until then, here are our Top 10 most memorable returns for Golden State:
1. Klay Thompson
THE EXIT: (June 19, 2019). Thompson crumbled to the floor after being fouled by Toronto’s Danny Green while trying to dunk late in the third quarter of Game 6 of the NBA Finals. He had suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, yet astonishingly came back onto the Oracle Arena court to shoot his free throws before departing. After surgery, Thompson missed the entire 2019-20 season.
One of the loudest moments in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/XJ58giC7oL
— Antonin (@antonin_org) January 2, 2022
On Nov. 18, 2020, Thompson suffered another devastating injury during an offseason workout in Los Angeles when he tore his Achilles tendon, causing him to miss all of last season.
THE RETURN: (Jan. 9, 2022). After more than 2 ½ years, Thompson will finally be back on the floor Sunday against the Cavaliers at Chase Center.
THE REACTION: To be determined. But keep your tissue nearby. This one’s truly coming from the heart.
2. Chris Webber
THE EXIT: (Nov. 17, 1994). After a Rookie of the Year season in ’94, Webber stunned the Warriors by demanding a trade because of a strained relationship with coach Don Nelson. The Warriors reluctantly traded to Washington for promising forward Tom Gugliotta and three No. 1 picks. Webber’s departure crushed the hopes of the team and its fans of building a title-contending team.
THE RETURNS: (Dec. 22, 1994 + Feb. 7, 2008). Webber only played 23 minutes in the Bullets’ 107-87 loss in Oakland because he suffered a dislocated shoulder that sidelined him for two months. Before leaving, Webber had scored 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Almost 15 years later, Webber and Nelson reunited when the Warriors signed the 34-year-old, who had four points off the bench during a loss to the Bulls.
THE REACTIONS: Webber was booed unmercifully and was a target of taunts by an Coliseum crowd when he first came back. Things turned ugly when the crowd kept booing after Webber dislocated his shoulder before politely clapping when he was helped off the court. “I still heard some boos; don’t try to make it nice,” an angry Webber said after the game. The All-Star Webber was continually booed each time he came back over the next decade or so. He even heard a smattering of boos when he was introduced again as a Warrior in 2008. “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel good to come back to a place where it didn’t end right,” Webber said.
3. Stephen Curry
THE EXIT: (Oct. 30, 2019). Warriors misery got company when Curry joined his fellow Splash Brother Thompson on the sideline just four games into the new season. As if trailing by 29 points at home against a mediocre Suns team wasn’t painful enough, the Warriors’ season officially became a lost cause after just one week when Curry broke his left hand while colliding with Phoenix’s Aron Baynes.
THE RETURN: (March 5, 2020). Five months and 58 games after breaking his hand, Curry shook off the rust with an entertaining 23-point night in just 27 minutes at Chase. He shot just 6-of-16, including 3-of-12 from 3-point range, but also had seven rebounds and seven assists in a loss to the defending champion Raptors.
THE REACTION: It made no difference to Warriors fans at Chase Center that their team lost for the 10th time in 12 games. The favorite son was back and so were the “MVP!” chants. Greeted by raucous cheers when he was introduced before the game, Curry was touched by the love fans showed him that night. “We’ve been together for 11 years and obviously I’ve never been out this long while the season is going on,” Curry said. “Regardless of how the season’s going, you wouldn’t have known walking in this building tonight. That was fun.”
4. Rick Barry
THE EXITS: (June 19, 1967 + June 17, 1978). Barry didn’t go far the first time he left the San Francisco Warriors, choosing to join the American Basketball Association’s Oakland Oaks right after leading the NBA in scoring (35.6) and the Warriors to the NBA Finals as a 22-year-old. Having further establishing himself as a superstar by spearheading the Oaks’ first ABA title in 1969 and Golden State’s first NBA championship in 1975, Barry left the Warriors again in 1978 to sign with the Rockets.
THE RETURNS: (Oct. 14, 1972 + Nov. 29, 1978). Five years after leaving, a court ruling on Barry’s old NBA contract dispute sent him back to the Warriors for the start of the 1972-73 season. Barry had 18 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in an 81-77 season-opening loss at the Coliseum Arena to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Milwaukee Bucks. Barry made another much-publicized return to the Bay Area six years later as a Houston Rocket, making 13-of-21 shots and scoring 26 points in a 109-94 loss to the Warriors.
THE REACTIONS: Even though Barry’s sometimes prickly personality made him a villain among some players and most opposing fans, he always seemed to be treated warmly by Bay Area fans. It helped that he’d lived among them even though he had been away — Barry had maintained a home in the East Bay, where three of his sons also grew into NBA players. In 1972, an unusually large crowd of 9,926 fans showed up to shower Barry with cheers. He got a similarly enthusiastic reception when he returned to Oakland with the Rockets in 1978.
5. Chris Mullin
THE EXITS: (Dec. 12, 1987 + Aug. 12, 1997). Mullin’s Hall of Fame career didn’t take off until after he returned after a stint in alcohol rehab in the middle of his third season. At coach Don Nelson’s behest, Mullin spent 47 days in a Southern California rehab facility. Then, years after establishing himself as a star worthy of being on the Olympic “Dream Team,” Mullin was traded to Indiana near the end of his career.
THE RETURNS: (Jan. 29, 1988 + March 3, 1998 + Nov. 12, 2000). Mullin was literally a changed man when he rejoined the Warriors, having shed some pounds while growing a new appreciation for his life. He had 10 points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals off the bench in a 102-100 win over Utah. While coming back as a Pacer in 1998, Mullin had just five points in 27 minutes during a 101-87 win. Finally, Mullin came off the bench for the Warriors in 2000 during his final NBA season. He had five points in a season-opening loss to Orlando.
THE REACTIONS: After his time in rehab in ’87, Mullin didn’t know what kind of reception he’d get from Warriors fans. His trepidation was washed away in a sea of cheers. “That response made me realize that I was making the right changes,” Mullin told this organization. “That’s when I understood I had the chance to do something good.” Mullin also was welcomed back with open arms on opening night against Orlando in 2000 after he re-signed here.
6. Mitch Richmond
THE EXIT: (Nov. 1, 1991). Mitch was literally the man in the middle of the Warriors’ iconic “Run TMC” trio until his trade to Sacramento for rookie point forward Billy Owens. The deal sent shockwaves throughout the Bay Area, where fans grew to love the 1988-89 Rookie of the Year. Richmond was so despondent over the trade he chose to keep living in his Alameda home and commute to Sacramento during his first year with the Kings. “I cried all that year. I mean, it was tough. It was really tough,” Richmond said years later.
THE RETURN: (Dec. 7, 1991). The Kings played in Oakland a day after the trade but an emotional Richmond missed the game to clear his head. He was in tears when he heard the Warriors beat the Kings by 62 points, 153-91. Richmond closed the gap when the teams met again in Oakland – he scored 29 points on 13-of-21 shooting and had seven assists and five rebounds – but the Kings still lost, 124-120.
THE REACTION: Richmond appeared to be drenched in emotion while cheers from a sellout crowd rained down on him during the pregame introductions. The fans were on their feet to deliver a 50-second standing ovation. Even Owens, whom the Warriors acquired in the widely panned deal, saluted Richmond. “That ovation was very good. I gave him a couple of claps myself,” Owens told reporters.
7. Jason Richardson
THE EXIT: (June 28, 2007). Richardson was equal parts heart and soul for the Warriors’ “We Believe” team, so fans were naturally outraged when the six-year veteran was traded to Charlotte for the rights to rookie Brandan Wright on draft night. The two-time NBA Dunk Contest winner’s development had become a source of pride for longtime Warriors followers, and this deal reeked of the disastrous Mitch Richmond trade 16 years earlier.
THE RETURN: (Feb. 1, 2008). Richardson seemed so pumped up for his return to Oakland that it may have contributed to his rough performance in the Bobcats’ 31-point loss. He missed seven of his nine shots while scoring just 10 points in a 127-96 loss. He sort of made up for it a month later when the Warriors visited Charlotte and he scored a season-high 42 points in a 118-109 win.
THE REACTION: Talk about a hero’s welcome. Once his name was called out during the lineup introductions, Richardson was greeted with a loud and lengthy standing ovation. When Richardson first took the floor at Oracle Arena one of his teammates thought the crowd’s boisterous eruption was meant for a much bigger star, especially with the Super Bowl two days away. “I thought Tom Brady was out there, with all those people screaming,” said one Bobcat.
8. Nate Thurmond
THE EXIT: (Sept. 3, 1974). Beloved by the Warriors’ then-smallish fanbase, the future Hall of Famer Thurmond was shockingly traded a month and a half before the season. Thurmond, who averaged 17.4 points and 16.9 rebounds per game during his 11 years with the Warriors, was flipped to Chicago for fellow center Clifford Ray, a first-round pick and, most importantly for their cash-poor ownership, a reported $100,000. Footnote: The Warriors used the 1975 draft pick to select Kobe Bryant’s father, Joe, whom they subsequently sold to the 76ers for $500,000 before he ever reported to Golden State.
THE RETURN: (Jan. 11, 1975). The 33-year-old Thurmond came back and encountered an upstart Warriors team that was just four months away from winning its first ever NBA title. But, on this night, Thurmond did enough – six points, 10 rebounds, three blocks – to help the Bulls prevail 114-105.
THE REACTION: With Thurmond back in town, the Coliseum Arena was sold out for just the third time that season. Thurmond was greeted by a lengthy standing ovation before the game. “Nate was a favorite here. People hated to see him go,” said Barnett, who remained his close friend up until Thurmond’s death in 2016. “He was one of the great centers in this game.”
9. Don Nelson
THE EXIT: (Feb. 13, 1995): Nelson was the architect of two of the most exciting pre-Kerr eras for Golden State – the “Run TMC” and “We Believe” years. After revitalizing the Warriors by installing his wildly entertaining brand of offense, Nelson resigned as coach after 6 ½ years while Golden State was struggling at 14-31.
THE RETURNS: (Nov. 16, 1995 + Aug. 29, 2006). Nelson’s first trip back to Oakland was as the New York Knicks’ coach. The Warriors were no match for his Knicks, ripping the Warriors 120-97. Things were much more exciting for the Warriors when Nelson returned as their coach, replacing the fired Mike Montgomery. Nelson’s crowning achievement was when he became the NBA’s all-time winningest coach in Minnesota on April 7, 2010.
THE RECEPTIONS: The fans, some of whom greeted Nelson when he got off the team bus, gave Nelson a standing ovation when he walked onto the court as the Knicks’ leader. He was similarly feted when he officially came back as the Warriors’ coach before an opening night loss to the Lakers in 2006.
10. Baron Davis
THE EXIT: (July 1, 2008). Warriors fans didn’t want to believe it, but their 3 ½-year love affair with the universally liked Davis was over when he agreed to a five-year, $65 million deal with the Clippers. The heart and soul of the Warriors’ “We Believe” team was gone. All that remained were the memories of how he helped a Warriors team become the first No. 8 playoff seed in NBA history to knock off a No. 1 seed in a seven-game series. Oh, and an unforgettable poster, right Mr. Kirilenko?
THE RETURN: (March 17, 2009). After missing the Clippers’ first game at Oracle that year because of an injury, Davis relished his trip back to Oakland. He scored 29 points, had seven assists and five rebounds. Davis also had four 3-pointers, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 127-120 loss to the Warriors, who got 29 points and six assists from their new starting point guard, Monta Ellis.
THE REACTION: Although still a bit stung by Davis leaving, the Warriors’ crowd showered him with love, giving him a standing ovation when he was announced before the game. Davis also exchanged hugs with some fans sitting courtside just before the game started. “It was all about the fans tonight. I was just letting them know how much I appreciated them,” Davis said. “It was fun playing back in Oracle. (But) it’s different being on another team and playing here.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com