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Klay Thompson was a part of the Golden State Warriors before head coach Steve Kerr even joined the team and together they won four NBA titles. So you can probably imagine that Kerr had a lot to say with Thompson leaving the team in free agency.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Kerr offered his thanks to Thompson for his 13 years of service to the organization. He said that he and everyone else on the Warriors are going to miss him and wish him well. Kerr lamented that they couldn’t stay together.
“I just want to say thank you to Klay Thompson for 13 incredible years. 10 of which I was there for. What he did for the team, the organization, for the Bay Area, for me personally, the relationship that we had, all the incredible success, but more importantly just going through it all together has been so meaningful, so amazing. We are gonna miss Klay. We wish him the best. These things rarely go like you want where you get to draw it up and execute it and everybody goes out together. We were hoping that could happen, but it didn’t. We wish Klay well. We love him and we’ll miss him,” Kerr said, via Mark Medina.
Steve Kerr wishes Klay Thompson well and said he completely understands his reasons for going to the Dallas Mavericks pic.twitter.com/o6SHbCsQzk
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) July 6, 2024
Klay Thompson was a five-time All-Star and won an Olympic gold medal while representing the Warriors from 2013 to 2024. But the relationship with the team soured last year due to disagreements over his next contract.
The end result was Thompson’s departure and decision to sign a three-year, $50 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks, per ESPN.
It’s a shame that Thompson didn’t get to ride off into the sunset as a member of the Warriors, but he’ll always have a special place in Warriors lore.
Related: Warriors Post Heartfelt Message For Klay Thompson After He Left In Free Agency