All fans in attendance for Tuesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks will receive a captain’s hat as Golden State’s seafaring Splash Brother comes back to the Chase Center
When Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks visit the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, the Warriors legend will be greeted by 18,064 “Ahoys.”
Salute to Captain Klay
Get this one-of-a-kind Captain Hat on Nov. 12, thanks to @kpthrive! Arrive early for a special pregame celebration as we salute Captain Klay pic.twitter.com/K0GVGTe1pv
— Chase Center (@ChaseCenter) November 8, 2024
The Warriors announced that Tuesday’s Emirate Cup matchup with Dallas will be, “Salute Captain Klay Night,” as all fans will receive a captain’s hat, courtesy of Kaiser Permanente. Along with what’s sure to be a number of tribute videos, shots of Thompson staring down a toaster, and standing ovations, the Warriors are focusing on the Splash Brother’s love of the ocean. That love included regularly jumping into the sea on the day of big games, commuting to the Chase Center by boat, and parking said boat wherever he wanted.
Though Thompson was never an official team captain, neither was Brandon Belt of the San Francisco Giants. Look, Steph Curry may have been team captain for a decade, but he had plenty of opportunities to wear a white naval dress uniform, a peg leg, or put a parrot on his shoulder. Just like a Somali pirate boarding a container ship, Klay seized the title, metaphorically declaring “I’m the captain now!”
The Warriors had some choices for their giveaway. They could have gone with toasters, but that might be dangerous if the fans objected to a foul call and toasters rained down from the mezzanine. They could have gone with headbands, a more recent signature look for Thompson. They could have given out the Klay-endorsed CBD gummies, but that might have led to a more subdued crowd than the Chase Center would have hoped for, albeit an incredible boost to the arena’s concession sales.
Team president Brandon Schneider explained that the team wanted something more than a video or a bobblehead. “We think it will be a cool moment to collectively tip our hat to captain Klay Thompson,” he said.
There will be a lot of emotions on each side of the matchup, especially with the Warriors’ playoff history with both Kyrie Irving and the Mavericks. Especially with the game opening the in-season tournament, the giveaway might be the only thing Tuesday that’s smooth sailing for the Dubs.