Stephen Curry Reacts to Klay Thompson’s Achilles Injury

The news of Klay Thompson tearing his right Achilles tendon, which all but assures he will miss a second straight full season, sent shockwaves through Dub Nation. The entire Warriors fanbase was obviously devastated. But apart from Thompson himself, it’s possible that no one was taking this news harder than his backcourt mate Stephen Curry.

In some of his first comments since the injury was announced, Curry talked to Marc Spears of The Undefeated about his reaction when he found out during a conference call with Steve Kerr and Bob Myers.

“To get that call was a gut punch for sure,” Curry said. “A lot of tears. You don’t really know what to say because a guy like that is having to go through two pretty serious rehabs now.”

The loss was obviously emotional for Curry on both a competitive and personal level. In addition to the obvious blow that the injury deals to Golden State’s title hopes, the two guards have spent the majority of their careers together as starters. In the seven seasons in which they formed the primary Warriors backcourt, they lived up to their Splash Brothers nickname by making 3,798 threes, easily the most in the NBA by a pair of teammates over that time frame.

In spite of the setback, Curry tried to remain optimistic about Thompson’s future.

“He can come back strong,” Curry said of Thompson. “He’s a guy that loves the game so much. He is going to do whatever it takes to get back out there on the floor and be himself. That’s what we hope and the confidence that we have.”

Although the injury is sure to be weighing heavily on Curry right now, he can’t spend too much time thinking about it. The 2020-2021 season is scheduled to begin in approximately one month and Curry, if he can stay healthy, will probably be the Warriors’ most important player.

Many people have used Thompson’s injury as a way to discount the team’s chances of contending for the 2021 NBA title, but Curry hopes to use that as motivation.

“We know we can compete with anyone in the league,” Curry said. “It’s kind of crazy. We know how great Klay is. Don’t get me wrong. But we hear the chatter. ‘It’s the end of for us. This year is a wash. What are we going to do in the future?’ But we are in the moment right now. It’s kind of refreshing being in that category as guys that are chasing … we’re ready for it.”