The Warriors have a special “Salute Captain Klay” ceremony planned for before tipoff to pay tribute to Thompson’s contributions to the franchise over 11 years. The team said: “Fans are encouraged to arrive early, by land or by sea, for a special pregame salute to the franchise legend.”

The 4-time NBA champion returned to San Francisco and was showered with praise in the first game against his former team.

After an April 2022 game when Thompson was recovering from his torn Achilles, he sat on the Warriors’ bench, alone, with a towel draped over his head for 30 minutes. The Achilles and ACL injury kept him out for 941 days, and in his return to game action, he snarled at the Chase Center crowd after dunking on a pair of Cavaliers.