Klay Thompson is all-too-familiar with the long journey to recovery after sustaining a torn ACL.
The Warriors' superstar tore his ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, only to then sustain a torn Achilles in the fall of 2020, continuing to sideline him for a second consecutive season.
In a game against Golden State on April 12 at Chase Center last season, Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray tore his ACL against Thompson's Warriors.
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SIGN UP HERE Murray told Adam Caparell of Complex Sports that after he sustained the injury, he sought out guidance and received support from numerous players around the NBA.
"I hit up a few guys and they hit me up as well," Murray said. "The league showed a lot of love. Guys that have been through it just kind of showed me what I’m walking into and how to deal with certain things. It was just nice to see guys like Dejounte [Murray] and Zach [LaVine] make the All-Star team and coming off years where they tore their ACL. Seeing that and seeing where they’re at and how they’re playing and the level they’re playing at and the confidence they’re playing with gives me a bright spot and hope at the end of the tunnel. But right now, I’m just working on myself."
On the night he sustained the injury, Murray revealed that Thompson -- who was rehabbing from his second lower leg injury at the time -- came into the X-ray room at Chase Center where Murray was being attended to and offered his advice as a player who very recently went through the same strenuous rehab process that Murray was about to embark on.
"Everybody talked to me," Murray added. "It’s hard to name one. I had Zach talk to me. I had Dejounte talk to me. I talked to [Victor] Oladipo. Spencer Dinwiddie. I could go on. But when I first tore it in Golden State, Klay Thompson came into the X-ray room—obviously, they couldn’t tell from the X-ray, but that’s where I found out it could be the ACL—and he was just giving me advice on where he’s coming from and how long it’s been since he played and what to look forward to and how he managed it. It was the first day that it happened so I was listening to him, but it didn’t register because I was upset. Now that I look back at it, man, what he said and where he was before he came back, kind of gave me perspective. I’ll get there. I just have to be patient and put the work in now so it’ll show later."
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Prior to his long-awaited return to the court this season against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 9, Thompson's struggles were well-documented throughout his lengthy two-plus year rehab process.
Any and all advice he can bestow on one of the game's brightest stars as he navigates a difficult road to recovery will -- and appears to have -- made an impact on the 25-year-old.