Has Klay Thompson played his final game for the only NBA team he's ever known?
Following a brutal showing in the Warriors' season-ending 118-94 loss to the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Play-In Tournament, Thompson on Wednesday addressed his uncertain future with the 34-year-old set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer.
Thompson quickly fired back in response to questions about his uncertain path ahead, citing a desire to talk about the season that just ended rather than focus on what awaits him once his contract with Golden State expires at the conclusion of the 2023-24 NBA season.
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"We don't want to talk about the season first? We want to talk about the future?" Thompson replied bluntly to open his end-of-season exit interview with reporters. "Lot of games played, man. It was a pretty big accomplishment. What's up with y'all not wanting to live in the present, bro? It's ridiculous."
When asked about his confidence level in returning to the Warriors, Thompson reiterared that his focus remains on processing the raw emotions of a season that concluded less than 24 hours ago.
"To be honest with you, I haven't really given it much thought because of what I previously just said about the season we had and how much commitment it takes to play the games that we did, and give it our all." Thompson told reporters. "So I haven't really thought about that deep into the future because I still need to process the year we had.
"It was one filled with ups and downs, that ultimately -- me personally and our team -- did everything we could to try and win as many games as we possibly could."
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Following Golden State's play-in loss to Sacramento, Thompson was seen soaking in his surroundings as he slowly made his way off the court at Golden 1 Center.
The sharpshooting guard was asked about what was going through his head in that postgame moment, sharing a personal reflection on his rough performance before revealing a heartwarming revelation about something he noticed in the stands of the arena.
"Some of the things going through my head? Hmm. Well, the first one, just disappointment because to not shoot the ball well, obviously, a big old donut. So that wasn't very fun," Thomson explained.
"I did look up in the nosebleeds, though, and I did see a man wearing a number 11 jersey. That made me happy, considering my history in Sacramento from playing a state championship there to playing the Kings in the playoffs. That was kind of a full circle going for me. So that was actually a good moment, just seeing that Warriors fan standing by his lonesome up in the 300 level repping 11. That made me grateful."
Thompson just completed his 13th NBA season, with his 35th birthday on the horizon next February. While he has solidified himself as a basketball icon over the last decade, it's only natural to wonder how much time Thompson has left in his illustrious career.
However, if you ask the five-time NBA All-Star, that's not something he's concerned with in the present.
"When that time comes, I mean I'm not trying to put an expiration date on my career," Thompson shared. "That's kind of something you just go by feel."
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