Getty Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson warms up prior to his January 9, 2022 comeback game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
When Klay Thompson was recognized as the Best Comeback Athlete at the ESPY Awards last week, it wasn’t exactly a shocking development. The Golden State Warriors star overcame both a torn ACL and a ruptured Achilles to return to the fray and win a fourth championship last season.
Not only that — he bore a startling resemblance to the player he had been before being devastated by injuries. In 32 regular-season games in 2021-22, Thompson averaged a cool 20.4 points per contest and boasted a 38.5% conversion rate from three-point range.
For all he accomplished in his return, though, Thompson doesn’t appear to be resting on his laurels.
As revealed by his trainer, Ben Bruno, the Dubs sharpshooter had designs on getting bigger, faster and stronger this summer before the NBA Finals even started. In fact, he had already taken steps toward making it happen.
Thompson Was Ready to Work
Over the weekend, Bruno updated his Instagram timeline with a post dedicated to Thompson’s… dedication. In the post’s caption, he praised the baller as someone who “works his ass off” and noted that on the morning after he received his ESPY, Thompson was back in the gym with Bruno and “crushing deadlifts.”
The five-time All-Star wasn’t just there on a whim, though. It was all part of a plan that was hatched in the days before the Dubs took the floor for Game 1 against the Celtics.
One of the pictures included with Bruno’s post was an actual screen shot of the text messages he received from Thompson way back on May 31.
“Hey man. I rented a spot in Beverly Hills from mid-July to mid-September,” the Warriors wing texted. “Now that I’m back healthy we gotta get on a good workout schedule for the summer again like it’s 2018.”
It would seem that the workout plan is in full effect.
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Klay Shows Up in Trayce’s Cheering Section
Thompson may be working hard to elevate his game for next season, but that doesn’t mean isn’t taking the occasional time out to enjoy his summer, too. On Sunday afternoon, he was on hand at Dodgers Stadium to take in a game between LA and the San Francisco Giants.
Of course, Thompson’s brother, Trayce, has been manning the outfield for the Dodgers. And, with his older sibling in the stands, the 31-year-old played a key role in helping his club secure a 7-4 win over the rival Giants, going 2-for-4 from the plate with a double and two RBI.
As ever, Klay did a masterful job of drawing attention to himself as he watched. In the bottom of the sixth inning, he was snapped absolutely destroying a cup of beer:
Klay just demolished this beer at the Giants-Dodgers game 😂
During the following inning, he ignited the crowd with an epic celebration of Trayce’s double:
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