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NBA: How injuries changed Klay Thompson's mindset towards career, health

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Levi Joshua Verora Jr.

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="NBA Champions Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney of the Golden State Warriors interact with their Filipino fans during a meet and greet at SM Megamall" s="" Fashion="" Hall="" on="" August="" Maria="" ABS-CBN="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/sports/09/03/20230831-thompson-klay-anta-megamall-mt-5.jpg"/><figcaption>NBA Champions Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney of the Golden State Warriors interact with their Filipino fans during a meet and greet at SM Megamall&#x27;s Fashion Hall on August 31, 2023. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA -- Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson experienced one of the most grueling stretches of his professional basketball career when he suffered back-to-back injuries from 2019 to 2021.</p><p>The sharpshooter first tore his ACL during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, forcing him to recover for about eight months.</p><p>Then, he tore his Achilles in late 2020, just when he was recovering, causing him to miss another year in his prime.</p><p>The series of unfortunate setbacks put a dent on Thompson&#x27;s emotional strength, but eventually, it changed how he has been taking care of both his physical and mental health today.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/08/31/23/klay-thompson-looney-launch-latest-shoes-in-manila">Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney launch latest shoes in Manila</a></li></ul><p>&quot;I&#x27;ve been trying to get my conditioning to the best it&#x27;s ever been, because as you get older in the NBA, what&#x27;s important is cardio, your health, and your mind. My mind is very sharp,&quot; Thompson told ABS-CBN Sports content lead Migs Bustos in a sit-down interview.</p><p>Thompson is in the Philippines alongside teammate Kevon Looney as part of a promotional tour for Anta.</p><p>&quot;I was very bitter for a couple of years and very angry at the world and my circumstance,&quot; he added.</p><p>&quot;To this day, I am still accepting it and I&#x27;ve come to peace with my story because now I can relate to athletes who go through hardships and setbacks.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/amp/sports/09/01/23/klay-thompson-interacts-with-fans-joins-hoops-clinic">Klay Thompson interacts with fans, joins basketball clinic in PH</a></li></ul><p>It has been well documented how fierce a competitor Thompson is, so much so that playing a pick-up game in 2020 caused his ruptured Achilles. </p><p>The 6-foot-6 sharpshooter later on opined in several articles that he might have rushed his return to the court just because of how glued he is to the game.</p><p>&quot;If I don&#x27;t have a good performance on the court, I go home and I think about it all night. I try not to but I just can&#x27;t help it. I&#x27;m just too obsessed with basketball,&quot; Thompson said.</p><p>This summer proved to be a different approach, as Thompson focused on strengthening his mind more.</p><p>&quot;Not playing in a championship is actually very rare for us so to have some time off was a nice mental break in a way,&quot; the four-time NBA champion said of getting eliminated in the 2023 Western Conference semifinals.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/amp/sports/08/31/23/for-klay-thompson-manila-visit-is-full-circle-moment">For Klay Thompson, Manila visit is &#x27;full circle moment&#x27;</a></li></ul><p>&quot;This summer, I overcame that obstacle with my mind and I think that will just pay huge dividends for me this season.&quot;</p><p>The five-time all-star also mentioned trying to find ways to reduce stress off the court.</p><p>&quot;For me, I try to get out on the water, I try to play chess, I take my dog to the park, I play golf, I try to do things that bring me joy, and keep me present in the moment, whether it&#x27;s reading a book, watching a movie, dancing,&quot; Thompson said.</p><p>&quot;Because basketball, or whatever industry you&#x27;re in, performing your work can be stressful and you need those outlets to feel good about yourself.&quot;</p><p>With the Warriors making key moves this offseason, including acquiring future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul and serviceable pieces in Cory Joseph and Dario Saric, Thompson said he is &quot;very motivated&quot; to become an all-star again deliver another title for Dub Nation.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;ve been working so hard this summer to get there. I&#x27;m turning a negative to a positive and it&#x27;s been great fuel for me to work hard every day,&quot; Thompson said.</p><p>&quot;When you win a championship, you relax a little bit. This year, we did not win so I&#x27;m on the edge again. I want to be great. I want to bring back another trophy for Dub Nation.&quot;</p><div><b>For more stories on the FIBA World Cup, click <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/fibaworldcup2023" target="_blank">here</a>.</b></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MB2aY232hvs?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Klay Thompson experienced one of the most grueling stretches of his professional basketball career when he suffered back-to-back injuries from 2019 to 2021.