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An emotional Klay Thompson receives cheers and warm recognition as he returns to the Bay Area

Warriors legend Klay Thompson basks in the admiration of his former home fans as he returns to Chase Center.

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Klay Thompson stepped off the team bus Tuesday night and beamed as he strolled back into Chase Center. greeted by around 400 cheering Warriors employees who lined up on his way to the Dallas locker room to show their love and appreciation for the former Golden State star.

They wore “Captain Klay” hats, the gift for all fans on a celebratory evening that commemorated Thompson's 13 years with the franchise, two of which he spent injured, and the four championships he won here.

Those white hats filled the Chase Center, where video highlights of Thompson were shown in a place where he is still — and always will be — beloved. Stephen Curry jogged over to Thompson, who now wears No. 31, along with teammate Kyrie Irving in No. 11, and gave him a quick hug before Andrew Wiggins also hugged his old teammate.

Stephen Curry scored 37 points, including Golden State's last 12, to lift the Warriors to a 120-117 win over Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks in an Emirates NBA Cup game on Tuesday night.

Thompson finished with 22 points emotional return to Chase Center For the first time since leaving for Dallas in July.

Earlier, after a quick jump rope drill outside the Mavericks' locker room to thunderous applause from Warriors fans, Thompson ran out of the tunnel onto the floor with phones held aloft, capturing the moment of Thompson's return.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Curry thought about addressing the crowd before tipoff, but he talked to Thompson and both decided to focus on the game, even though Kerr knew it was going to be something if they had to defend each other.

Curry fouled his former splash brother 15 seconds into the game and Thompson scored the first two points of the contest on free throws.

“I imagine he's going to be exactly the same guy I've watched for 10 years, so he's always aggressive,” Kerr said. “I'm sure he'll fire, and none of us would see it any other way.”

The Warriors invited all of their employees to be part of the welcoming committee for Thompson, who joined Dallas in July on a three-year, $50 million contract. Thompson, 34, missed more than two and a half years – the entire 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons – recovering from surgeries on his left knee and right Achilles tendon before making his comeback in January 2022.

“I think what he has overcome is almost unprecedented,” Kerr said. “…The last couple of years after he came back, he struggled to balance it all and lost those prime seasons. We all saw this and saw how he struggled emotionally. We saw him struggle to get his game back. He helped us win a championship, led the league in 3s two years ago, he did a lot of great things.

“We wish this would be over forever and that Klay would have ended his career with us But circumstances always dictate these things. Ultimately I think he made the right choice. I think he needed a fresh start, I think he needed some kind of new environment, and that was evident last year. He wasn't happy and that was hard to see because he deserves to be happy. Basically he’s a very happy person.”

Thompson has tried to downplay the magnitude of the return to the Bay Area, although it was certainly emotional for everyone involved.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time and basketball is basketball.” he said.

But as the home crowd went wild at his introduction and pulled out their captain's hat, Thompson became visibly emotional and visibly touched by the honor. He waved and saluted in different directions.

Dallas coach Jason Kidd called the Mavericks “lucky to get him” and imagined how difficult it might be for Thompson with so many emotions.

“He is a real professional. “Come to work and understand what it means to win,” Kidd said. “We can talk about his ability to shoot the ball, his space and his gravity. We can let him walk around, he will create space for others. So when you talk about the big picture, that’s hard to find, and we didn’t have that, and it was desperately needed.”

Golden State planned a “Salute Captain Klay” ceremony before the opening to honor Thompson's contributions to the franchise and his tradition of boating across the bay to games. He will be back for the Mavs' second trip to Chase Center in February.

“It’s all staff. It’s unbelievable,” said Warriors President and COO Brandon Schneider. “What Klay has meant to our organization and to all of us over the last 13 years, the team accomplishments, the individual accomplishments, who he is as a person, what he has accomplished in the community, it is a special night.”

For Kerr, the moment felt much different than Thompson's triumphant return nearly three years ago, from the injuries and daunting rigors of rehab that the veteran guard considered one of the most difficult days of his life.

“It was a welcome return, we knew there were lots of good times ahead. In fact, there was a championship six months later,” Kerr said. “This is obviously more of a farewell, the first time we've seen him. … It will feel very strange, but it will be a different vibe, more of a thank you and a goodbye and everything you meant to us.”

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