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“I Kind of Felt Guilty About it”: Danny Green Recalls Klay Thompson’s Tragic ACL Injury During 2019 Finals 

Arjun Julka
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"I Kind of Felt Guilty About it": Danny Green Recalls Klay Thompson's Tragic ACL Injury During 2019 Finals 

Warriors guard Klay Thompson’s journey in the NBA has been nothing short of a fairytale, given his back-to-back tragic injuries, followed by winning his fourth championship. It’s been a roller-coaster ride for the 6ft 6″ guard who demonstrated utmost resilience and perseverance during this time.

Rewinding to the 2019 Finals, the Warriors looked to 3-peat as they faced the Toronto Raptors. However, fate wasn’t on the side of the Bay Area team this time around, who lost two of their superstar starters to season-ending injuries, with Durant rupturing his Achilles, followed by Klay tearing his ACL.

What could have made Steve Kerr and co, the only team to 3-peat in the last decade, turned out to be an injury catastrophe. While KD successfully returned post a year and a half of rehab, Klay, who was on a similar path, ruptured his Achilles during a pickup game in LA, having him miss two and a half seasons of his prime.

Also read: “If I can take that play back, I would”: Danny Green makes a heartfelt confession in light of Klay Thompson’s return to the hardwood after 941 days

Recently, appearing on ESPN’s NBA Today, veteran guard Danny Green, who was part of the play that forever changed things for Klay, admitted to being guilty about the situation but was relieved on learning that the Warriors superstar never blamed him.

Danny Green addresses Klay Thompson’s ACL injury during Game Six of the 2019 Finals.

Having already lost Durant in Game Five to a horrid Achilles injury, the Warriors would suffer another major setback when a red-hot Thompson tore his ACL in a fastbreak play involving him being unintentionally fouled by Raptors guard Danny Green.

For the longest time, Green felt responsible for the mishap but was sort of relieved on learning that Klay had no ill feelings against him despite the former Raptors guard having him miss a considerable time of his prime.

Green had nothing but praise for Klay, addressing how the four-time champion didn’t let the prolonged rehab get to his mind, continuing to stay positive.

“You can never really understand it till you go through it”: Danny Green addresses his ACL injury.

Green, who was on the Sixers last season, was diagnosed with ACL and LCL injuries after a collision with seven-foot teammate Joel Embiid during the semi-finals series against the Miami Heat.

On his path to recovery, the three-time champion was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies during the summer. Nevertheless, one wishes to see Green soon on the hardwood, having recovered an 100% from his ACL injury.

Also read: “Anthony Davis for Klay Thompson and Draymond Green”: Stephen A. Smith Proposes Wild Lakers-Warriors Trade

About the author

Arjun Julka

Arjun Julka

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Arjun Julka is a NBA author at The SportsRush. Basketball isn’t just a sport for this 26-year-old, who hails from Mumbai. He began watching the sport after stumbling upon a court in his society, helping him identify an undiscovered passion for the game of hoops. Now an ardent fan, Arjun supports Stephen Curry and the Warriors but also enjoys watching Giannis Antetokounmpo own the paint. When it comes to the GOAT debate, the TSR author feels LeBron James is yet to receive a lot of his due but cannot deny marveling at Michael Jordan’s resume.

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