Has Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson Been Bitten by the Boating Bug?
For those of you who love boating and basketball in equal measure, we are happy to report that the Golden State Warriors are well represented on San Francisco Bay.
“You can’t have a bad day when you’re on [a] boat,” Klay Thompson was quoted as saying in the New York Times article about his newfound love for boating. “Finally nearing a return to the court for the Golden State Warriors after missing the past two seasons because of injuries, Thompson has found a new hobby that has been especially therapeutic. ‘It’s been so good for my mental health,’ said Thompson.”
The Times added, “Thompson said he could see himself getting into sailing.”
‘Kaptain’ Klay Thompson posted this photo on his Instagram in early November. We’re not sure whose fine-looking, Warriors-blue sailboat this is, but it looks as if a good day on the Bay was about to be had.
Klay Thompson, the Warriors’ all-star shooting guard, suffered a torn ACL in the 2019 NBA finals, followed by a torn Achilles tendon. For the last few years, he’s been spending long, grueling days in rehab. “He knew he needed something to take his mind off his troubles,” the Times wrote. “He needed a boat. It was not until [he] was injured that he was motivated enough to invest in a full-fledged watercraft.” Thompson bought one of those zippy Axopars from yacht broker Kenyon Martin of Seattle Yachts.
Thompson aboard his Axopar just south of the Bay Bridge.
“I loved her lines so much,” Thompson said in the Times, adding that it was several months before he felt confident enough to take out the boat by himself. “To be able to do a hobby that felt refreshing to me and see the world in a different way, it was a dream come true.”
“The ocean and free diving and spear fishing and boating bring me joy,” Thompson said in the New York Times, “second only to winning basketball games, really.”
The Times continued: “‘I fell in love with all the little things, whether it’s navigating, cleaning her, tidying her up — all the stuff you would never think of when driving a car.’ Thompson is well aware that he often refers to his boat as if it were a living, breathing person. ‘I know. That’s how much I respect her.'”
Klay Thompson grew up in Southern California, but was not the product of a “family of boaters,” according to the Times. “But he has always enjoyed the ocean. He finds the water peaceful and calming.” The Times also quoted Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, who said of Klay’s boating, “Being on the water is a safe space for him. He’s outside, and he has that freedom to go wherever he wants to go out there.”
We look forward to seeing Klay Thompson back on the court and out on the Bay — and hope to cross tacks with him on a sailboat some day. And sorry, Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Trailblazers and Supersonics fans, but we also look forward to watching the Warriors continue their red-hot streak.
This story has been updated.
I LOVE this !
Keep sailing Klay, there is nothing but the very best of life out on the water