OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson has been cleared to return after his concussion and play in the NBA Finals.
The Warriors announced after practice Tuesday that Thompson completed the NBA’s concussion protocol and will be ready to play in Game 1 on Thursday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“I feel great, honestly,” Thompson said before the announcement was made. “These past two days, I feel like I’ve got my wind back. Tomorrow is the final tuneup. Just trying to stop the nerves and anxiousness, or keep them down as much as possible.”
The All-Star shooting guard was concussed during the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ Western Conference finals-clinching victory over the Houston Rockets on May 27. Team doctors initially cleared Thompson to return to the game after he was kneed in the head. He ended up not playing, and the Warriors said he started developing symptoms after the game.
Thompson was diagnosed with the concussion last Friday and missed two days of practice. He returned to the court Monday and has been symptom free.
“I was confident yesterday,” Thompson said. “Today was just the icing on the cake.”
NBA union chief Michele Roberts said she was “mortified” that Thompson had been cleared despite later being diagnosed with a concussion.
Thompson said he understands the difficulty of diagnosing concussions and felt fortunate that he ended up not playing after the injury.
“It’s tough because my adrenaline was high,” he said. “I felt alert, I felt focused. They ultimately made a great call not putting me back in.”
Thumbnail image via Cary Edmondson/USA TODAY Sports Images
