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Kendra Andrews, ESPN
As Klay Thompson returns to San Francisco on November 12th to play against his former team, the Golden State Warriors, they have planned a special tribute: “Salute Captain Klay” night.
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The Warriors will be giving out captain hats to all 18,064 fans in attendance, a nod to Thompson’s passion for boating and his frequent commutes to the Chase Center via boat.
Thompson, now playing for the Dallas Mavericks, will be introduced as their fifth starter during the game – the first NBA Cup matchup for both teams. Before his introduction, a minute-long tribute video featuring highlights of Thompson’s time with the Warriors will play on the jumbotron. Stephen Curry will take center court before tipoff to deliver a few heartfelt words about his former teammate.
“It’ll be emotional and strange,” Warriors president and chief operating officer Brandon Schneider said. “When you hear Klay Thompson announced, but he’s not running out through our line of guys, it’s going to be a different night for us and him.”
The Warriors began brainstorming ideas to honor Thompson during the offseason. Schneider remembers initiating the first conversations about how best to celebrate the five-time All-Star before the NBA schedule was released.
The captain’s hat idea came about two months ago, as they wanted something more impactful than just a video and more meaningful than a typical T-shirt or bobblehead giveaway.
“We think it will be a cool moment to collectively tip our hat to Captain Klay Thompson,” said Schneider.
