Getty Klay Thompson
After Klay Thompson suffered a scary knee injury in the second half of Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, there was a widespread concern. But shortly after, came a brief sigh of relief, which unfortunately didn’t last.
Thompson was heading back to the locker room but stopped in order to come back and shoot free throws. After making both, he proceeded to head to the locker room, although he didn’t appear to want to go back and get checked out. After attempting to avoid a trip to the locker room, he eventually made his way back while jogging the entire way.
At that point, it was believed Thompson could return to the game, but that didn’t pan out, as the Golden State Warriors guard was ruled out. Shortly after that, SportsCenter revealed a video of Thompson using crutches to leave the arena.
Klay Thompson is seen walking by the Warriors locker room on crutches.
The initial play was incredibly concerning to watch, as Thompson went up to attempt a dunk and while Danny Green tried to block it, the Warriors guard came down awkwardly on his left leg. Here’s a look at the scene, courtesy of ESPN.
Klay goes down with an apparent leg injury, and all of Oracle holds its collective breath.
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Klay Thompson Injury Update
Although Thompson was forced to leave on crutches and the play itself was concerning, there were some positive reports which came before he was ruled out for the game. According to Doris Burke on the ABC broadcast, the Warriors guard told his father twice that he did not hear a pop in his knee when landing.
Thompson also was reportedly jumping around to keep warm in the locker room. Unfortunately, it appears he wasn’t healthy enough to return to the action, even though he surely made a big push to convince the training staff that he was good to go. This all came after he managed to return to the game in order to shoot his free throws, which ESPN’s Rachel Nichols showed.
After it came to light that Thompson was out for the game, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reported that Warriors general manager Bob Myers went and found owner Joe Lacob to bring him back to the locker room.
Bob Myers just went and grabbed Joe Lacob, who is going to the locker room with him. Klay Thompson is back there, done for the night.
Reactions & Thoughts Pour in for Klay Thompson
The injury to Thompson sent social media into a frenzy. Kevin Durant’s injury was a brutal blow for the Warriors, and the team proved unable to catch a break on that front with this news. Reactions and thoughts poured in for Thompson after seeing him leave the arena.
Injury’s are the worst things in sports. Stay strong @KlayThompson
U a dog my g 💪🏽 @KlayThompson
I think I would max out Klay Thompson
🗣: Give Klay Thompson all the money.
Klay Thompson is everything you want in a player.
Additional information on Thompson’s injury should come to light soon, but we’re certainly holding out hope that he avoided anything major.
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