Klay Thompson refutes ‘dumb s–t’ retirement rumor

Klay Thompson bristled at the suggestion he could retire after next season.

“There was a report out there: I have no intention of retiring in 2024,” Thompson said. “So if you write some dumb s–t like that, just be held accountable, because that’s crazy. Just because I didn’t play 5-on-5 doesn’t mean I’m gonna retire. That’s absurd. That’s all I’m gonna say.”

Connor Letourneau, a sports reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, theorized in an interview with KNBR that Thompson could retire after his deal expires in 2024.

In the interview, Letourneau was talking about how the Warriors are going to have hard financial decisions to make. They just reached big-money extensions with Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins. Draymond Green does not appear to be in their long-term plans, at least not for max money.

As for Thompson, Letourneau said, “The reality is that Klay does have two more years on his deal. I personally would not be shocked if Klay just retired from basketball at the end of that contract. I don’t think it’s going to be between this season and next season. If he does retire in the near future it would be after his contract ends. He’s had no interest or desire to talk about extensions, even though he is extension-eligible right now.

Warning: This video contains offensive language

“He was very open with me about how the trauma from that experience is very real. He’s been doing mediation and visualization. My big takeaway from that conversation was, just because he played well in the Finals, doesn’t mean the aftermath of that Achilles injury and those back-to-back injuries is over. He’s still got mental hurdles to overcome and we all need to realize that, and the Warriors understand that.”

Thompson had a rough couple seasons with injuries. He missed the entire 2019-20 season with a torn ACL, and then tore his Achilles early in the 2020-21 season. Last season, he came back in the second half, appearing in 32 regular season games and easing his way back into the rotation. The Warriors ultimately won their fourth championship with their star core of Thompson, Green and Steph Curry.

While the injuries undoubtedly took a toll on Thompson’s psyche, by his own account he does not have any immediate plans to hang up his sneakers.