Steph Curry never thought it would happen.
But on June 28, he got a call. The call.
It was his fellow Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, who he had spent the last 13 seasons with terrorizing opposing defenses and winning four NBA champions as Warriors. But the 15-minute phone call marked the beginning of the end of an era.
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“It’s one of those things where you never think you’d ever have that conversation,” Curry told The Athletic's Sam Amick on Sunday while at Team USA training camp in Las Vegas. “Even to the 11th hour, when I knew all the signs were pointing toward [Thompson and the Warriors] not finding a resolution on the contract, you’re thinking, ‘Maybe it’ll be one of those things where he’d come out and say, ‘Oh, we got it done.’
“You hold out that kind of hope. But, yeah, it was a rough call. When you hear him open up on the whys [of his decision], and just how much he appreciated the friendship and being teammates and champions that we were, there’s no words that really do that justice. I know it was hard for him. You just try to keep it as cool as possible on the phone, because you don’t want to be sobbing and going through that. There was a little bit (of tears). But it’s one of those things where I know when I see him in person, I’ll be able to give him that energy properly.”
They hung up the phone and, three days later, it was reported to the rest of the world that Thompson was headed to the Dallas Mavericks as part of a sign-and-trade involving six teams, a deal that became official on Saturday.
The following day, Curry shared a lengthy gut-wrenching tribute to Thompson on his Instagram story followed by a heartfelt message.
Golden State Warriors
While it's an emotional time for Curry and Dub Nation, proven by the tears that fell down his face during that call, the two-time NBA MVP wants his Splash Bro to be happy and is excited about Thompson's fresh start with the Mavericks.
And when the time is right, Curry will give Thompson a proper sendoff to the Lone Star State sometime this offseason, when more tears can be expected.
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