Mavs' Klay Thompson celebrated by Warriors in Bay Area return - ESPN

SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson's bottom lip quivered a bit as he stood on the Chase Center court and watched the tribute video the Golden State Warriors made to honor him as he returned to face his former franchise for the first time.

Stephen Curry, Thompson's teammate for all 13 of his years in the Bay Area, stationed himself in the tunnel by the home bench while the video played, wanting space to protect himself from getting too emotional. Draymond Green, the other member of all four of Golden State's championship teams during this era, had watched the video earlier to prevent the emotions from hitting him in the moment.

As the crowd showered Thompson with an extended standing ovation after the video, he managed to keep his composure. He knew that wouldn't have been possible if Curry gave a speech at midcourt, as was originally planned as part of the festivities to honor Thompson. That's why Thompson texted his «Splash Brother» the previous night, when they agreed to cancel the speech and just let the fans express their appreciation.

«I was prepared for it,» Thompson told ESPN after the Dallas Mavericks' 120-117 loss to his former team in a thrilling NBA Cup opener Tuesday night. «I didn't want to cry.»

Thompson had already been caught off guard when approximately 400 Warriors employees, wearing the captain's hats given away to fans as a nod to the guard who famously boated across the Bay to home games, lined the hallway to warmly welcome him as he entered the arena almost three hours before tipoff. He couldn't help but break out in a big smile as he made the unfamiliar stroll to the visitors locker room.

He was showered with appreciation during his pregame shooting session more than an hour before tip, when thousands