Draymond: Klay not at Steph’s historic night only thing missing originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
NBA legends and celebrities descended on Madison Square Garden in New York City on Tuesday to witness Warriors star Steph Curry become the NBA’s all-time leader in 3-pointers.
Ray Allen and Reggie Miller were there. Steph’s parents, Dell and Sonya, made the trip. Director Spike Lee and actor Pete Davidson were among the Hollywood headliners in the house.
But there was one notable person missing from the festivities: Klay Thompson.
Curry’s Splash Brother didn’t travel with the Warriors on the current five-game road trip as he continues his rehab and nears the finish line to his return to the court. The team assigned Thompson and injured center James Wiseman to the G League Santa Cruz Warriors on Saturday so that they could get in practice reps.
It’s unknown if Thompson would have been allowed to leave his rehab assignment to travel to New York for the game or not.
For Draymond Green, as memorable of a night as it was for Curry, the franchise and the NBA, it didn’t feel complete without Thompson in the building.
“Anytime you have the chance to play in the Garden, it’s special,” Green told reporters after the Warriors’ 105-96 win over the New York Knicks. “You have the opportunity to break an all-time record here, that takes things to new heights and to a totally different level. Definitely would have rather had it over sooner, just to get it behind you, but in saying that, I don’t think there’s any better place in the world where it could have happened than Madison Square Garden. So it’s very special.
“I think the only thing missing for me was Klay not being here, just with the road traveled to get here, Klay was a huge part of that. So if anything could have been different, it was that. But other than that, very, very special night for a special person, for a special person. Very special. Great to be a part of.”
While many NBA players took to social media to congratulate Curry on his accomplishment, as of 8:30 p.m. PT, Thompson hadn’t posted anything on Twitter or Instagram.
During his postgame press conference, Curry was asked if he has heard from his backcourt mate yet.
“I haven’t checked my phone,” Curry said. “It’s actually buzzing in my pocket right now, so I’ve got a lot of people to catch up to, but his jersey was in the locker room next to mine and it will be good to get back and celebrate with him, and then obviously celebrate his return hopefully soon. But it represents both the Splash Brothers in how we approach the game for sure.”
Curry, Green and Thompson are forever linked, and Draymond is right. Not having Klay in the building for a historic moment like Steph breaking Allen’s record feels weird.
Surely one of the messages on Curry’s phone was from Thompson, and in due time, they will get a chance to celebrate both Steph’s record and Klay’s highly-anticipated return after two years away from the game.