虎扑体育网

近日，勇士资深记者Anthony Slater联合记者Tim MacMahon发布长文，介绍了在克莱-汤普森离开勇士加盟独行侠之后的幕后故事。

全文内容如下：

Whenever Stephen Curry watches a Dallas Mavericks’ game, he says it's a "natural instinct" for his eyes to follow Klay Thompson around the court.

"Happened last night, actually," he said.

Curry sat down with ESPN this week in the tunnel outside the Golden State Warriors' home locker room. Curry pointed out that it was the location where, back in 2022, Curry's oldest son, Canon, delivered his "Hello, Klay Thompson" line that became a viral video representing the Splash Brother connection.

"One of my favorite memories," Curry said.

One night after scoring 48 points in Portland on Sunday, he was resting at home with Canon, who is now 7 years old and slightly more aware of the complexities of the NBA world.

They flipped on the Mavericks game against the Utah Jazz. Curry roared after Thompson hit two of his four 3s -- "Shoot it, Klay!" he yelled -- early in the fourth quarter, sparking Canon's curiosity.

每当斯蒂芬-库里观看一场达拉斯独行侠的比赛的时候，他说他的目光总会不由自主地随着克莱-汤普森在场上而移动，这是一种“自然而然的本能。”

“实际上，这件事就发生在昨晚。”他说。

本周，库里在金州勇士队主场的更衣室外接受了ESPN的采访。库里提到，2022年的时候，他的大儿子正是在这说出了那句著名的“你好，克莱-汤普森”，这段视频在当时迅速在网络上走红，并成为了水花兄弟的象征。

“那是我最美好的回忆之一。”库里说。

周日，库里在波特兰砍下48分却不敌开拓者赛后，他和他7岁的大儿子卡农在家休息，卡农现在对NBA世界的复杂性有了更深的了解。

父子二人打开了电视，看起了独行侠对阵犹他爵士的比赛。在第四节开始，克莱投进了他4次三分出手的第2球时，库里对着电视大喊：“快投篮啊，克莱！”这引起了卡农的好奇心。

"Klay's playing?" Canon asked. "Why are you here?"

Curry reminded Canon that Thompson is in Dallas now. He left the Warriors.

"Those are the moments it hits," Curry said. "Things have evolved in life. But there are reminders of how special of a thing it was and also a reminder of how unfortunate ... the reality of what it is right now."

Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green once discussed the dream of riding it out together with the Warriors, where they won four NBA titles. When Green sees social media or television graphics referring to him and Curry as the league's longest-tenured duo, he shakes his head.

"It should be trio," Green said. "That's weird to me."

But circumstances change. Injuries altered Thompson's career. The ACL and Achilles tears in 2019 and 2020, respectively, stripped away NBA basketball from him for 941 days. He returned and helped Golden State win a title in 2022, but the ramifications set in motion his eventual departure.

“克莱上场了？”卡农问道，“那你为什么坐在这里呀？”

库里告诉卡农，克莱现在已经在达拉斯独行侠了，他已经离开勇士了。

“就是在那种时刻，一些回忆才会突然涌上心头。”库里说，“人生无常，但正是有这种时刻提醒我，那段时光有多么美好，同时也会提醒我，现在的生活有多么不幸。”

库里、克莱和追梦格林曾经讨论过一起在勇士队效力直到三人退役的梦想，在这里，他们一起获得了四座NBA总冠军奖杯。但是，每当格林在电视或者社交媒体上看到人们把他和库里称为“联盟效力时间最长的二人组”时，他都会摇摇头。

“本该是三人组的。”格林说，“我觉得这很奇怪。”

但世事无常。伤病彻底改写了克莱的职业生涯。2019年和2020年，克莱分别遭遇了前交叉韧带断裂和跟腱撕裂的大伤，这也让他缺席了941天的NBA比赛。在2022年复出后，他帮助勇士夺得了2022年的总冠军。但后来，伤病带来的种种影响也导致了他的离开。

"This was a guy who felt he left it all out there for（team owner）Joe（Lacob）and the organization, and was then viewed as damaged goods," one league source said.

Thompson is midway through his second season with the Mavericks, who last season traded Luka Doncic，the player Thompson most wanted to join. They're currently out of the Western Conference postseason picture and the Warriors, at 13-14, aren't too much further ahead, having stumbled because of injuries, age and simmering discontent.

Thompson and the Mavericks return to Golden State on Christmas Day (5 p.m. ET，ESPN), bringing the NBA's most surprising separation again into full view. Seventeen months after the split, multiple sources told ESPN, reflection and regret has thawed some of the frost, despite some lingering bitterness about how it ended.

"I wish he was still here," Curry said.

一位联盟消息人士说：“克莱觉得自己为（球队老板）乔（拉科布）和俱乐部付出了一切，结果却被视为残次品。”

克莱目前正处于他在独行侠的第二个赛季中期。上赛季，独行侠交易走了卢卡-东契奇，而东契奇却正是克莱想要加盟独行侠最主要的因素。独行侠现在的成绩与赛季初预测的西部排名相差甚远，但13胜14负的勇士也好不到哪里去。两只球队都因为伤病、球员年龄以及内部矛盾而步履维艰。

克莱和独行侠将于圣诞节当天重返勇士主场，进行圣诞大战。而这也再次将NBA历史上最令人震惊的“分手”推到了风口浪尖。根据ESPN多位消息人士透露，在分开17个月后，反思和遗憾已经化解了部分隔阂，尽管对于分手的方式仍存在一些怨恨。

“我真希望他还在这里。”库里说。

IN FEBRUARY, SIX days after the Warriors traded for Jimmy Butler III, they flew from Milwaukee to Dallas in the middle of a six-game trip. Curry and Green were glowing about the immediate impact of their newest co-star.

But this particular stop was about confronting their past.

"I was like, I'm making sure I get over there," Curry said.

Curry decided far in advance that he'd spend the night before this matchup at Thompson's house and helped organize a dinner that included Green, assistant coach Chris DeMarco and Thompson's friends. Thompson sent him the address. He ordered an Uber for both Green and himself to get there.

"Man," Thompson said. "I had to move to Texas to get this guy to come over to my house."

（今年）二月份，在勇士交易得到吉米-巴特勒的六天之后，他们从密尔沃基飞往达拉斯，当时正值六场客场之旅的中途。库里和格林对这位新队友的表现赞不绝口。

但此行的目的是为了直面他们的过去。

“我当时就想，我一定要去那里，”库里说。

库里很早就决定在比赛前一晚住在克莱家，并帮忙安排了一场晚宴，格林、助理教练克里斯-德马科和克莱的朋友们都参加了。克莱把地址发给了他。他叫了辆Uber，自己和格林一起去了那里。

“老兄，”克莱说，“我不得不搬到德克萨斯州才能把这家伙请到我家来。”

The mood was light. Thompson broke out the chessboard and Binho, a tabletop soccer game. Curry gravitated toward the putting green. They competed. They caught up. Thompson showed them his favorite nearby bike route.

"We didn't need to address any feelings or his departure or anything like that," Green said. "It was friends kicking it. He's showing us, 'Yeah, this is my life here.'

"But you could tell he's trying to come to grips with it. It was odd for him."

气氛轻松愉快。克莱拿出了国际象棋和桌面足球游戏“宾霍”（Binho）。库里则走向了迷你高尔夫球场。他们切磋棋艺，叙旧聊天。克莱还带他们体验了他最喜欢的附近骑行路线。

格林说：“我们不需要谈论任何感受，也不需要谈论他的离开之类的事情。朋友们聚在一起聊天。他是在告诉我们，‘是的，这就是我在这里的生活。’”

“但看得出来他还在努力接受这件事。这对他来说很奇怪。”

There was something cathartic about the dinner, Curry said, calling it an "acknowledgement of the finality" of the situation.

"I didn't go there for that," Curry said. "But that's what it turned into."

They hung out at Thompson's house "deep into the night," Curry said, and left with a renewed appreciation of all they'd accomplished regardless of how abrupt and frosty the exit might have been.

"You don't spend 12 years with your friends and then that just fades," Thompson said. "That was a really fun moment of last season, was pretty up and down."

库里说，这顿晚餐有种宣泄的作用，他称之为对局势“最终性”的承认。

“我去那里不是为了那个，”库里说。“但事情最终却变成了那样。”

库里说，他们在汤普森家待到“深夜”，离开时，尽管克莱离队时的方式可能很突然也很冷淡，但他们都对自己取得的成就有了新的认识。

“你不可能和朋友们一起度过12年，然后这段感情就这么消失了，”克莱说。“那是上赛季一段非常美好的时光，尽管上赛季我们起伏跌宕。”

So much about Thompson's professional identity is tied to his run with the Warriors, as he reminded a chirping Ja Morant last month. Curry saw Thompson's altercation with the Memphis Grizzlies and disliked it.

"The idea that he is carrying the Warrior success no matter what jersey he has on, I do like that part of it," Curry said. "But I don't like people taking shots at him when he doesn't have that coverage and he doesn't have his guys with him."

It hit Green similarly. Two nights later, he saw a clip of Thompson getting into it with a Miami Heat rookie, reminding Myron Gardner he couldn't "sit at my table." Green could only watch through a phone.

"That's two instances in a row I saw him arguing by himself," Green said. "What the f---?"

汤普森的职业生涯很大程度上与他在勇士的经历息息相关，正如他在上个月提醒喋喋不休的莫兰特一般。库里目睹了克莱与灰熊的冲突，他感到很不满。

“无论他现在身穿哪支球队的球衣，他都能是勇士成功的一份子，这一点我很欣赏。”库里说道，“但我不喜欢在他没有队友保护、没有队友支持的时候，人们还对他冷嘲热讽。”

格林也深受打击。两天后，他看到一段视频，汤普森和热火的一名新秀发生冲突，汤普森提醒迈伦-加德纳，他“没资格跟我同桌”。格林只能隔着手机屏幕观看。

“这已经是我连续第二次看到他独自一人与人争吵了。”格林说，“在搞什么鬼？”

THE NIGHT AFTER dining together as old friends, the former teammates were rivals again.

Thompson scored 17 points, intercepted a Green pass early in the fourth quarter and blocked a Curry floater in crunch time. The Mavericks won 111-107.

Word filtered to the Warriors that Thompson spent the minutes afterward celebrating in the home locker room and blustering about the mistake the Warriors had made chasing others instead of prioritizing him.

"To be expected," Green said recently. "I heard about some of the stuff he was saying. We played with Klay for 12 years. We know the type of emotion he has."

前一天晚上，昔日的队友们还像老朋友一样共进晚餐，第二天晚上，他们又变成了对手。

汤普森得到17分，第四节初段抢断了格林的传球，并在关键时刻封盖了库里的抛投。独行侠最终以111-107获胜。

勇士方面得知，汤普森在赛后几分钟里一直在主队更衣室里庆祝，并大肆抨击勇士犯下的错误，他们试图追求其他人而不是优先考虑自己。

“这也在意料之中，”格林最近说道。“我听说了他的一些言论。我们和克莱一起打了12年球。我们了解他的情绪。”

There was a retaliatory nature to it. Three months earlier, in Thompson's first game against the Warriors, Curry made a dagger 3 in the closing moments and yelled to the camera what appeared to be: "You better stay here!"

"That's why we won championships together," Green said. "We all got that side to us. You don't win at the rate we did if you don't got that."

Curry confirmed his message that night.

"That was my way of expressing how much this place means to me," he said. "And how much I want to only be here."

Thompson once felt the same way, but his career took a different path.

这其中也带有报复的意味。三个月前，在汤普森对阵勇士的首场比赛中，库里在比赛最后时刻投进一记关键三分，并对着镜头大喊：“你留在这里更好！”

“这就是我们一起赢得总冠军的原因，”格林说。“我们每个人都具备这种特质。如果没有这种特质，我们不可能取得像我们那样多的胜利。”

当晚，库里证实了他的消息。

“我这样做是为了表达这个地方对我有多么重要，”他说。“以及我有多么想待在这里。”

克莱也曾有过同样的感受，但他的职业生涯却走上了另一条道路。

He infamously tore his ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, soaring for a third-quarter dunk attempt during one of his patented scoring surges, putting his body on the line in an effort to bring the franchise a fourth title in five years -- even hobbling back onto the court and hitting two free throws before departing for the hospital.

One month later, the franchise gave Thompson a five-year max contract extension, a pledge of loyalty that eventually became a point of contention between him and management, league sources said.

In the years that followed, sources said, Thompson heard that Lacob was telling several people Thompson should be grateful the Warriors had given him the deal, while also grumbling about his declining performance. Thompson had torn his Achilles in an unsanctioned pickup game away from the facility and later acknowledged he could've treated his ACL rehab more carefully, but believed he'd done more than enough for the organization to earn that contract and future loyalty.

他在2019年的总决赛第六场比赛中遭遇了前交叉韧带撕裂，当时他在第三节的一次反击快攻中尝试跃起扣篮：为了给球队带来五年内的第四个总冠军，他拼尽全力——甚至一瘸一拐地回到场上，罚中两球后才被送往医院。

一个月后，球队与克莱签了一份五年的顶薪合同，联盟消息人士称，这份忠诚的承诺最终却成为他与管理层之间争论的焦点。

在接下来的几年里克莱曾听说，拉科布曾多次对其他人说自己应该感激勇士给了他这份合同，同时也不停地向他人抱怨自己的状态下滑。克莱在一次未经官方批准的野球比赛中跟腱撕裂，之后他承认自己本可以更认真地对待前交叉韧带的康复，但他认为自己为球队做出的贡献已经足够多，足以赢得这份合同和未来的忠诚。

That set the stage for contentious extension negotiations in the summer of 2023 that went nowhere and an angsty contract season with the Warriors in 2023-24, which included a midseason demotion to the bench and several behind-the-scenes blowups from Thompson after certain coaching decisions.

"When I was in the Bay, when I put that No. 11 jersey on, I think any performer would tell you, any athlete, that you hold yourself to a certain standard," a reflective Thompson told ESPN this month. "When you've broken records, when you've set records, when you've experienced the highest peaks the sport can offer -- and you think that's just the normal -- I was always searching for that in Golden State."

这为2023年夏天充满争议的续约谈判埋下了伏笔，但最终无果而终。2023-24赛季，汤普森与勇士经历了一段充满焦虑的拉扯期，其中包括赛季中期被降为替补，以及在教练做出这一决定后，克莱与教练组在幕后爆发的几次冲突。

“当我在湾区，当我穿上那件11号球衣的时候，我想任何一个运动员都会告诉你，你会对自己设定一个很高的标准。”克莱本月接受ESPN采访时若有所思地说，“当你打破纪录，创造纪录，体验过这项运动所能达到的巅峰——你会觉得那才是常态——而我在金州勇士队一直在寻找的就是这种感觉。”

The Warriors maintain that they offered Thompson a two-year, $48 million extension in the summer of 2023, though Thompson's side never believed it was as genuine or tangible as portrayed. In the lead-up to free agency in 2024, there was minimal communication between Thompson and the Warriors. He played golf with Lacob, but the topic wasn't broached.

The Warriors aggressively pursued free agent Paul George and told Thompson he'd have to wait until other business was settled. An offer was never made. Thompson took it as a hint that he was a distant part of their plans.

Feeling deprioritized, he started to search elsewhere, lining up the Lakers and Mavericks as possible landing spots. Thompson made the ultimate choice to leave, but sources around Thompson said he felt pushed out in a strategic manner.

勇士坚称他们在2023年夏天向汤普森提供了一份为期两年、价值4800万美元的续约合同，但克莱方面始终认为这份合同并不像他们所说的那样可靠。在去年自由球员市场开启前，克莱和勇士之间几乎没有任何沟通。他曾和拉科布一起打过高尔夫，但双方并未提及续约事宜。

勇士在当时积极追求自由球员保罗-乔治，并告诉克莱他得等到其他事情处理妥当后才能考虑。勇士最终没有向他提出报价。克莱认为这是在暗示他不在勇士的计划之内。

由于感到被忽视，他开始寻找其他出路，湖人和独行侠都成了可能的下家。

克莱最终还是选择了离开，但据他身边的人透露，他觉得自己是被球队策略性地排挤出局的。

Lacob sent Thompson a thread of his favorite pictures and moments from his career after he decided to leave. Lacob immediately announced that the Warriors planned to retire his No. 11 jersey and the organization put on a memorable celebration for Thompson in his first return game.

"People kind of understand from both sides some of the issues that, yeah, kind of happened," Lacob said days before Thompson's November 2024 return. "But I do think everyone still loves the history. You can't take away what he meant to the franchise. Honestly, to me as an owner -- very, very important. He's the first guy we ever drafted. I'm not just saying this. I really did feel like he was a son. ... Regardless of anything -- how it ended, didn't end. Whatever. That doesn't matter."

克莱决定离开后，拉科布给他发了一系列其职业生涯中最棒的照片和瞬间。拉科布随即宣布勇士队计划退役他的11号球衣，并在克莱回归后的首场比赛中为他举办了一场令人难忘的庆祝活动。

“双方都能理解一些事情的来龙去脉，”拉科布在克莱回归大通中心的前几天说道，“但我认为大家仍然珍视这段时光。你无法抹杀他对球队的意义。说实话，作为老板，对我来说——他非常非常重要。他是我们选中的第一位球员。我不是随便说说。我真的把他当成自己的儿子一样看待……不管怎样——不管结局如何，或者根本没有结局。都无所谓了。”

Thompson opted for Dallas and the Warriors worked it into a sign-and-trade, which got him a bit more money. But he didn't love how management tried to squeeze Dallas at the end for extra value, league sources said.

"It's all good, my man," Thompson said. "I'm still trying to win. I don't even -- what they do doesn't even concern me. I still got my eyes tight. I still got my eyes set on the goal, and that's to give myself the best chance to win again. So whatever they do, whatever transactions they make in business, has no bearing on how I feel."

Though his relationship with his long-time former teammates remains sturdy, his feelings toward management are still a bit cold.

" got the outcome they wanted," another league source said.

克莱最终选择了达拉斯，勇士则通过先签后换的方式将他签下，这让他多赚了一些钱。但据联盟消息人士透露，克莱并不喜欢勇士管理层在最后仍试图通过他榨取更多利益的做法。

“一切都好，兄弟。”克莱说，“我还在努力赢球。他们做什么我根本不在乎。我依然全神贯注，目标明确，那就是尽我所能再次赢得比赛。所以无论他们做什么，无论他们在商业上进行什么交易，都与我的感受无关。”

虽然他与多年的前队友关系依然稳固，但他对管理层的态度仍然有些冷淡。

“勇士管理层得到了他们想要的结果，”另一位联盟消息人士说。

Sitting at his stall in the FedExForum visitors locker room after the Mavericks were eliminated in last season's final Western Conference play-in game, Thompson sighed deeply and dropped his head when he heard the question.

If he knew in the summer how much change would be made in Dallas, would he have still signed with the Mavs?

"Don't do this to me. Don't do that to me. Don't do that," said Thompson, who turned down more money from the Los Angels Lakers because he believed Dallas presented his best chance to win another championship.

"That's kind of a ridiculous question because I don't own a time machine and don't believe in going back or looking back. If I did that my whole career, I would not be where I'm at, and I wouldn't have been able to persevere through two really hard injuries. So, I'm here in Dallas, and I enjoyed my time, and I'm looking forward to the future."

上赛季独行侠在附加赛中被淘汰后，汤克莱坐在灰熊客队更衣室的座位上。

听到下面这个问题时，他深深地叹了口气，低下了头。

“如果你夏天就知道达拉斯会发生如此大的变化，你还会和独行侠签约吗？”

“别这样对我。别那样对我。别那样对我，”克莱说道。他拒绝了湖人更高的薪水，因为他相信达拉斯是他赢得另一个总冠军的最佳机会。

“这个问题有点荒谬，因为我没有时光机，也不相信回到过去或回顾过去。如果我整个职业生涯都沉浸在回忆中，我就不会走到今天这一步，也不可能挺过两次严重的伤病。所以，我现在在达拉斯，我很享受在这里的时光，也期待着未来。”

Thompson reported to training camp in Vancouver, British Columbia, this fall with renewed optimism. He spent the summer preparing for a season instead of figuring out his free agency destination. His personal life was bliss with his relationship with rapper Megan Thee Stallion, which had recently become Instagram official.

"That always makes things a little better, being in love," Thompson said after one practice at Simon Fraser University.

At that point, Thompson believed the Mavericks could contend for a title with No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg joining the core.

今年秋天，克莱带着焕然一新的乐观精神前往加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省温哥华的训练营报到。他整个夏天都在为新赛季做准备，而不是考虑自由球员市场的去向。他的个人生活也十分美满，与说唱歌手梅根的恋情最近也在IG上正式公开。

“恋爱总是能让事情变得更好一些。”克莱在西蒙弗雷泽大学的一次训练后说道。

当时，克莱认为，随着状元秀弗拉格的加入，独行侠有能力争夺总冠军。

The optimism didn't last long, as Dallas got off to a disastrous start amid lingering fan outrage stemming from the Feb. 2 trade that sent Doncic to the Lakers, eventually resulting in general manager Nico Harrison‘s firing on Nov. 11.

Thompson, who had struggled mightily in a starting lineup that featured Flagg at point guard and sorely lacked shot creation, had lost his starting job after seven games. He was pulled from the lineup after shooting only 31.8% from the field, including 26.2% from 3-point range, with Dallas ranking last in offensive efficiency.

It's a move the coaches probably would have made earlier, if not for concern about how Thompson might respond to a reserve role. On this occasion, unlike his final season with the Warriors, he took the decision to bring him off the bench in stride.

"What made the change in Dallas easier is being able to rebrand myself -- a new number, a new team, a new experience," Thompson said recently. "Being here in Dallas just gave me a chance to reinvent myself and not hold on to those ghosts of the past of trying to be great. ...

"So now here in Dallas, I've been so much more at peace just knowing like, look, man, whether I start or whether I come off the bench, I'm going to play. I'm going to make an impact in Year 15. That's an incredible thing to do."

乐观情绪并没有持续多久，独行侠开局不利，球迷们对2月2日将东契奇交易到湖人的愤怒情绪持续高涨，最终导致总经理尼科-哈里森在11月11日被解雇。

克莱在首发阵容中表现挣扎，该阵容由弗拉格担任控球后卫，且严重缺乏自主进攻能力。七场比赛后，他失去了首发位置。由于投篮命中率仅为31.8%，三分命中率更是只有26.2%，独行侠的进攻效率排名联盟垫底，克莱被撤下首发阵容。

如果不是担心克莱能否适应替补角色，教练组或许早就做出这个决定了。这一次，与他在勇士的最后一个赛季不同，他欣然接受了替补出场的决定。

“在达拉斯，最容易适应的是能够重新塑造自己——新的号码，新的球队，新的体验。”克莱最近说道，“来到达拉斯给了我一个重塑自我的机会，让我不再被过去的阴影所笼罩……”

“所以现在来到达拉斯，我感觉平静多了，因为我知道，不管我是首发还是替补，我都能登场做出贡献。我将在生涯的第15个年头有所作为。这是一件了不起的事情。”

Thompson has rediscovered his sweet stroke, shooting 40.7% from 3-point range over the past month as the Mavericks have gone .500 in 14 games. Dallas' new front office is expected to explore his trade market near the deadline. Thompson's desire is to play for a contender, league sources said, but the $17 million owed to him next season could make him challenging to move.

"The circumstances have changed since I signed here -- I mean, obviously the personnel," Thompson said. "But we still have a very talented team, and at the end of the day, I'm playing to win and nothing's changed. My goals remain the same."

克莱找回了手感，过去一个月他的三分球命中率高达40.7%，帮助独行侠在14场比赛中取得了50%的胜率。达拉斯的新管理层有可能在交易截止日期前探索他的交易可能性。据联盟消息人士透露，克莱渴望加盟一支有竞争力的球队，但他下赛季1700万美元的薪水可能会使交易变得困难重重。

“自从我签约以来，情况发生了变化——我的意思是，人员配置显然不一样了。”克莱说，“但我们仍然拥有一支非常有天赋的队伍，归根结底，我打球就是为了赢球，这一点从未改变。我的目标依然不变。”

The highlight of Thompson's season so far was a vintage performance in a Nov. 29 comeback win over the LA Clippers, when he scored 17 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, the sort of scoring flurry that used to come frequently for him.

That was the second night of a back-to-back after a loss to the Lakers, and Thompson was listed as out because of knee soreness on the first injury report the Mavs released that afternoon. In classic "Captain Klay" fashion, he changed his mind after taking a ride on his new boat -- named "The Stallion" -- and jumping in the Pacific Ocean water.

He spoke wistfully that night about accepting that he's in the twilight of his career and appreciating the opportunity to help a special prospect like Flagg grow as he begins his NBA journey. He compared himself to Byron Scott, a three-time champion with the Showtime Lakers whose last season in the league was spent helping teach the ropes to a rookie named Kobe Bryant.

"What I've learned, though, even in Year 13, 14 is control what you can control and the basketball gods will reward you."

克莱近期亮点是在11月29日对阵快船的比赛中，他上演了一场精彩的逆转好戏。当时他在第四节独得23分中的17分——这种得分好戏在金州时曾屡次上演。

那是独行侠在输给湖人队后背靠背比赛的第二天，克莱在当天下午独行侠发布的第一份伤病报告中被列为因膝盖酸痛缺阵。然而，他却以典型的“克莱队长”风格，在乘坐他的新游艇跃入太平洋后改变了主意。

当晚，他动情地谈到自己已步入职业生涯暮年，并珍惜能够帮助弗拉格这样一位潜力新星开启NBA征程的机会。他将自己比作拜伦-斯科特，这位曾三次随“Showtime”湖人夺得总冠军的传奇人物，在生涯最后一年成为了新秀科比-布莱恩特的导师。

“不过，即便到了第13、14年，我也明白，控制你能控制的事情，篮球之神就会眷顾你。”

WHEN THE MAVERICKS visited San Francisco for a third time last season, the Warriors held a jersey retirement and postgame ceremony for Andre Iguodala, scheduled on Feb. 23 in part to allow Thompson to attend.

The Mavericks were blown out, but Thompson -- through gritted teeth -- grumbled his way to a courtside seat for a portion of it before leaving the arena.

"It sucked because we got freaking smacked," Thompson said. "That wasn't fun. Then it's definitely mixed emotions, man. Freaking blood, sweat and tears in that uni.

"Ran through a wall for that, for those guys, like, literally. Especially in an era where being out there every night isn't really at the top of the priority list."

Did he feel those blood, sweat and tears were fully appreciated?

"Only time will tell," Thompson said.

上赛季独行侠第三次造访旧金山时，勇士为安德烈-伊格达拉举行了球衣退役仪式和赛后庆祝活动，该仪式定于2月23日举行，部分原因是为了让克莱能够出席。

独行侠惨败，但克莱咬牙切齿地走到场边座位，看了一会儿比赛，然后离开了球馆。

“太糟糕了，我们被打得落花流水。”克莱说，“那可不好玩。现在心情真是五味杂陈。那身球衣里可是满满的汗水和泪水啊。”

“为了那些家伙，我简直拼了命，真的。尤其是在如今这个时代，每晚上场比赛并不是最重要的事。”

你是否觉得他付出的血汗和泪水得到了充分的认可？

“时间会证明一切，”克莱说道。

Curry brought up the name Scottie Pippen as a cautionary tale. Pippen's legendary run with the Chicago Bulls ended unceremoniously and those wounds never seemed to fully heal. Curry doesn't want that with Thompson and the organization.

"I didn't want that to be a part of our collective story nor something that he has to carry that robs him of great memories of his 13-year experience," Curry said. " I hate that that's part of the narrative."

Curry said, at minimum, he'd expect a ceremonial one-day contract for Thompson to close out his career with the Warriors. But Thompson still appears to have a few years left. Could a reunion and at least a final season or two with the Warriors be possible?

"I don't know," Thompson said. "That's a long ways away, man. That's a lot of basketball to be had. I don't know what the future holds."

库里提到了斯科蒂-皮蓬的名字。皮蓬在公牛的传奇生涯以不体面的方式结束，而那些伤痛似乎从未真正愈合。库里不希望克莱重蹈公牛的覆辙。

“我不想让这件事成为我们共同经历的一部分，也不想让他背负这样的包袱，剥夺他13年美好回忆，”库里说。“我讨厌这件事成为这段历史的一部分。”

库里表示，他希望勇士至少能给克莱一份象征性的一日合同，作为他职业生涯的收官之战。但克莱似乎还能再打几年。他是否有可能重返勇士，至少再为勇士效力一两个赛季呢？

“我不知道。”克莱说，“那还很遥远，伙计。还有很长的路要走。我不知道未来会怎样。”

Those around Thompson say they believe it could eventually happen because "there's no one that carries more weight with Klay than Steph," one league source said.

But Curry would have to push for it.

"It would be unbelievable," Curry said of the idea. "If that time comes and that conversation is had, of course I'm calling him and saying, 'We want you back.' And hopefully that would be a welcome message to him. But as we stand right now, that does seem like a far distant reality. But so did him leaving."

克莱身边的人表示，他们相信这最终可能会发生，因为“在克莱心中，没有人比斯蒂芬更有影响力”，一位联盟消息人士说道。

但库里必须努力争取。

“这简直难以置信。”库里谈到这个想法时说道，“如果真到了那一步，我们真的进行了那次谈话，我当然会给他打电话说，‘我们希望你回来。’希望这对他来说是个令人欣喜的消息。”

“但就目前的情况来看，这似乎还遥不可及。就像他当初离开时一样。”