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When Golden State Warriors All-Star Klay Thompson suffered his tragic Achilles injury right before the beginning of the season, expectations for the team’s season fell tremendously. It is safe to say that 2020 was not the best year for this star guard. However, Thompson is remaining in good spirits and hopeful for his future when he returns to the lineup. After reassuring that the team would return to how dynamic of a force that they were back in the 2010s, Thompson finally went into detail about how the injury happened.
Klay Goes Into Detail About How the Injury Happened
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Before a much-needed win over the league’s top team, the Utah Jazz, Klay Thompson sat down with the press and went into detail about his injury. Normally, people assume that players only workout with their respective teams, however, Thompson got his injury during a session in Southern California away from the team.
In November, his Achilles injury was suffered while playing in a pickup game in L.A., which he went into detail about for the first time since the injury, saying it “just happened on a two-dribble pull-up jump shot, a move I do 100 times a day.”
“It was very painful. It feels like someone kicks you in the back of your heel as hard as they could,” he stated, including how hard it is to even think about.
The star guard even revealed that he didn’t really accept that the injury had happened at first, “because my mind wouldn’t even accept what it was happening.” Obviously, it was overwhelming because it was like he had to fully reset after just experiencing an injury last season.
“It’s way harder than any basketball game I’ve ever had to play,” Thompson said, in a press conference for the first time since his latest injury. “Way harder than any conditioning drill or practice. The mental toll is not very fun, you always guess if you’re going to be the same player you once were so you have those naturally thoughts, but you can’t let those overtake you and you’ve got to realize this is not unique just to me so many athletes have been through this.”
Thompson’s injury was definitely one of the most heartbreaking news not just for the Warriors, but for the entire league. Thompson was already not able to play during the entirety of last year’s shortened season due to recovery from his ACL injury suffered during the 2019 NBA Finals, so adding his current injury was a double blow.
Klay Drops A Much Needed Update
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In this same interview, Klay gave reporters an update on where he’s at with his rehab. In addition to losing his boot and progressing to more mobility work and using a water treadmill, Klay has started a new part of his rehab that he considers life-changing.
The other half of the infamous “Splash Bros.” has taken splash quite literally and has started swimming in the San Francisco Bay in order to add some variety to his rehabilitation process.
“It was life-changing,” said Thompson when asked about his swimming. “It was amazing. I was like, ‘I need to do this more often.’”
“I’m going to incorporate that into my routine now. Tim Duncan swam his whole career and he played for 21 years. These last few years have allowed me to look at things and re-evaluate how I train and how I diet, that’s for sure. As I’m getting older I’ve got to do all the little things.”
Thompson has also begun driving again and can now lift weights along with riding a stationary bike.
Although many expect him to return at the start of next season, Thompson isn’t making any promises to eager fans. According to him, he hopes to be able to suit up and ready for the team’s opening night next season.
“Absolutely,” Thompson said when asked if we can expect his return next season. “It could be a few weeks after, maybe a month after, but it’s definitely going to be geared toward the very beginning of the season.”
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