When Klay Thompson, the star of the Dallas Mavericks, returned to Golden State with the team, around 400 Warriors employees welcomed him in the Chase Center tunnels.

The Warriors selected Thompson in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft, and he played for the team for his first 13 years in the league, earning four titles.

In a nod to Thompson’s attire, the majority of staff members wore sailor captains for the 2022 Warriors Championship parade after their six-game triumph over the Boston Celtics. He later earned the nickname “Captain Klay” due to his appearance.

Thompson was evasive when questioned about the possible response he would get from the home crowd on Wednesday. “Until I get there, I doubt I’ll truly know.””It would definitely be nice to see everyone I worked with, especially the training staff, as we had some… we really got to know each other during those rehab stays.”

This offseason, Thompson inked a three-year, $45 million contract with the Mavericks in an attempt to establish himself in a new environment.

“[the Warriors] chapter is over,” he said on Sunday to Andscape. “I’m currently attempting to win here in Dallas. We have a fantastic opportunity to be excellent here, so there’s no reason to miss anything.”The 34-year-old played for Golden State and was named an All-Star five times. Thompson managed to leave his mark on franchise history even though he was playing alongside superstars Kevin Durant and Steph Curry.

As the 2015–16 Warriors established the record for the most wins in a single season with 73, Thompson averaged 22.1 points and shot a stunning 42.5% from beyond the arc.

But for the first time since his rookie season, he was benched during some periods last season.However, Thompson scored 17.9 points on 38.7% of his long-range shots on average last season, and the Warriors just missed the playoffs. His defense, which was once All-NBA, suffered as well.

Steve Kerr, the longstanding head coach of the Warriors, once stated, “You are an icon in this franchise; your statue will be outside Chase one day.” “Thank you for all the championships, all the incredible moments, the person you are, the teammate you are; I loved coaching you, and welcome back.”

Thompson has averaged 13.8 points on a career-worst 35.8% three-point shooting percentage while starting all 10 of the Mavericks’ games this season.