From "China" to 'Headband' to 'Scaffold' Klay Thompson, there's no shortage of versions of the Warriors' lovable shooting guard. So, how's 'Quarantine' Klay doing?
As you might expect, he is not enjoying the fact that he can't play the game he loves while the NBA season is paused due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The practice facility is closed and he is separated from his teammates, but as his father Mychal explained, there are other ways for the smooth-shooting two-guard to stay in basketball shape.
"He’s frustrated he can’t work out with his teammates," Mychal said of Klay to USA TODAY's Mark Medina. "He just works out on his own like everybody else. He can’t work out with other guys in groups. You have to find a place to shoot on your own and do your own exercises. These guys know what to do. You run your sprints alone and can find an empty gym. Get a key to an empty gym and go shoot. All of these guys have connections to a gym."
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Thompson, of course, has missed the entirety of the currently paused season while recovering from a torn ACL sustained in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals. Prior to the season being indefinitely suspended on March 11, he had been cleared for light shooting drills.
While there is no official update from the team, it sounds as if Klay has continued to make progress.
"I don’t know," Mychal answered when asked if Klay is fully healthy. "He’s walking around fine. Who knows if he’s cleared to play. He has to get that clearance from his doctors and the Warriors. They haven’t talked about that yet."
Whenever the season does resume -- or whenever the Warriors next reconvene -- an official update on Thompson surely would be forthcoming. Until then, he's stuck at home like the rest of us, though apparently he and his brothers have made the occasional visit to their parents.
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"I wished they’d stay every day," the elder Thompson said of his three sons. "But every now and then, they’ll come by and stop and see us for family gatherings. Then it's like we’ve gone back 20 years in time. The boys will sit on the couch and play video games. Is this 1997 and 1995 all over again?"
From the sounds of it, the boys have no trouble turning back the clock.
"It’s so typical," Mychal said. "Somebody gets mad and yells out just like they were when they were 10, 12 or 13 years old."
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"Gamer" Klay, huh?
Who wouldn't want to see that?
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