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While Klay Thompson is officially a member of the Mavericks, the reality has yet to fully set in for those who had become accustomed to seeing him in a Warriors uniform alongside backcourt mate — and fellow Splash Brother — Stephen Curry.
Of course, no one was more accustomed to the pairing than Curry, who is preparing for his first-ever Olympic appearance after Thompson’s decision to leave Golden State. At training camp for USA Basketball, Curry reflected on his time with Thompson and the Warriors’ unique run.
Here’s what Curry had to offer about the 13-year pairing and the four championships that came along the way.
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Stephen Curry reflects on Klay Thompson’s Warriors tenure
Curry opened up on an offseason of change in an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews during USA Basketball training camp.
As fruitful as the partnership was over the last 13 seasons, Curry acknowledged that things were no longer the same for Thompson in Golden State. And while Curry admitted that losing Thompson “sucks,” the two-time MVP said that he wants his former running mate to be happy.
“[Thompson leaving is] something that I never imagined would be a reality, but we want him to be happy,” Curry said of Thompson’s decision to join the Mavericks.
“We would’ve loved to maintain the core and finish out together,” Curry added. “… So you have to be able to celebrate what we accomplished and be able to move.”
While Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green were first teammates during the 2011-12 season, the Warriors’ dynastic run began during the 2014-15 season. That year, Curry made a superstar leap to win his first of two consecutive league MVP awards and the franchise won the first of four championships in eight seasons.
Thompson’s exit officially signifies the end of an era, as each of Golden State’s four titles began and ended with him, Curry and Green.
“Defining a dynasty can take a lot of different looks,” Curry said. “People thought this was over in 2019 … but 2022 was an amazing championship because we defied the odds … That’s 11 years of almost 12 years of championship relevancy built around a certain core.”
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With Thompson now in Dallas, Curry and the Warriors will look to improve upon a 2023-24 season in which they won 46 games but failed to advance out of the Play-In Tournament as the Western Conference’s 10th seed. In the short term, Curry and Green will lean on new teammates Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield to help Golden State make that leap in the standings.
As far as the bigger picture goes, don’t expect Curry to try to capture success anywhere other than the Bay Area.
“I want to be greedy and say we can be relevant and be in the mix and give ourselves a realistic chance to win while I’m still growing these gray hairs and doing high school visits in the Bay for my daughter,” Curry told Andrews.
“It’s crazy. [It’s] just the nature of where I’m at. But yes, all that to say I love the Bay and the Bay is home and I never want that to change.”