Klay Thompson had an emotional return to the Bay Area on Tuesday night when he faced his former team, the Golden State Warriors. Soccer star Neymar Jr. was one of many who reacted to Thompson’s return. The four-time NBA champion left Golden State in free agency to sign with the Dallas Mavericks after the 2023-24 season.

In a post on his Instagram stories, Neymar shared the ovation Thompson received from the Chase Center crowd before the game. The Warriors paid tribute to their former player by showing a video to honor his contributions to the franchise. Fans even wore a captain’s hat in recognition of Thompson’s love for the ocean.

The Brazilian superstar thought that it was a well-deserved round of applause for the former Warriors star. He wrote in Portuguese and translated via Google, the caption read:

“What they did is really cool. This guy deserves all the recognition.”

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Neymar Jr. shared this on Instagram. (Photo: Screengrabbed from Neymar’s IG story)

Neymar Jr. is a huge basketball fan and has attended many games over the years. He seemingly enjoys a friendship with Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler, and they often hang out in the offseason. He also collaborated with Steph Curry in 2018 for a one-on-one interview with The Players’ Tribune.

Neymar also met Klay Thompson several times, including when was still with Barcelona and then during his time with Paris Saint-Germain. Thompson even posted a photo of himself with the soccer star on Instagram back in 2022 along with former teammate Jordan Poole.

Klay Thompson gets a lot of love from Warriors fans

Klay Thompson gets a lot of love from Warriors fans. (Photo: IMAGN)

Klay Thompson received a warm reception from Golden State Warriors fans in his return to the Chase Center. Thompson was cheered loudly by the crowd after the Warriors played his video tribute. The announcers got the fans more hyped up when his name was announced for the starting five.

The majority of fans also wore a captain’s hat, which was a nice touch given Thompson’s love for the sea. Even Warriors employees tipped their hats to him when he arrived at the arena. The experience was something that Thompson appreciated.

“It was a really cool experience,” Thompson told reporters after the game, according to Bleacher Report. “I appreciate the fans very much. The captain’s hat ended up being a great touch because I’m such a passionate boater. Saw a lot of familiar faces in the crowd, and that was a warm-hearted feeling. It was really cool to see the fans, their gratitude towards myself — and something I’ll never take for granted, so it was very, very awesome.”

Thompson had 22 points in his return, knocking down six 3-point shots. However, the Warriors had the last laugh after Steph Curry scored the last 12 points for his team to earn a hard-fought 120-117 win over the Dallas Mavericks.