Klay Thompson went through one of the most grueling journeys to make it back on the court. Having spent more than two years away from the game because of multiple injuries (torn ACL in 2019 and Achilles in 2020), Thompson’s return was much anticipated.
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However, it ended up being a disappointment for many. Talking about coming back from injuries, his former teammate, Shaun Livingston, opened up about Thompson’s injury and recovery.
The former Warriors guard was on the Dubs Talk podcast and asked to give his two cents on Klay’s injury and return to the court. Livingston spoke in detail about how difficult it must’ve been.
“You can give input because you’re Klay Thompson. But it’s not necessarily the same because you’re not out there. And then the rehab and the road to recovery. If you’ve been injured before, every athlete knows you’re going up essentially against yourself. And as a competitor, that’s one of the hardest things to do.”
Livingston, who suffered a much more horrific injury during the early days of his career, opened up on how to deal with that along with the rehabilitation process that comes along with it.
“We all wanted Klay Thompson to be that person that he was before he went down in the injury. But Biology doesn’t always work that way. So, having to go through that and experience that and then come back and not necessarily move the same way that you might wanna move on the court, it’s frustrating man”
“As professional athletes, we dedicate our lives to this. So, there’s a lot of our identities that’s caught up into what we do.”
Livingston was the fourth overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft. Listed at 6’7, Livingston was touted to be the next Magic Johnson.
However, a horrific knee injury resulted in him tearing his ACL, PCL, as well as the lateral meniscus. He also sprained his MCL and managed to dislocate his patella and his tibio-fibular joint.
It took Livingston about a year and a half to come back from the injury. Given his experience, he can relate to what Thompson went through. But even while talking about his former teammate, Livingston commended his resolve to come back and help his team on the floor because he, more or less, did the same thing.
Well aware of his limitations after recovering from injury, Shaun embraced his new role with the Warriors. And it sure did wonders for him as well as his squad.
Livingston helped Golden State win three NBA titles while coming off the bench and filling in for Stephen Curry. His prowess from midrange is well documented, with many fans labeling him the best midrange shooter of his generation.
After transitioning from a player to an executive, Livingston went on to win another ring in 2022 as part of the Warriors front office.
