Curry plans to join Thompson at Washington St. jersey retirement
SAN FRANCISCO >> Though most of the Warriors won’t be able to make it to Klay Thompson’s jersey retirement ceremony at Washington State, his long-time teammate Stephen Curry will.
“It’s really cool,” Thompson said of Curry’s intention to attend the ceremony in Pullman, Washington. “We’ve been through a lot of highs together. A lot of lows. Played at the highest level of the game as far as the NBA Finals and international competition, and he’s been my longest-tenured teammate, so I appreciate him coming.”
Washington State will retire Thompson’s No. 1 jersey at halftime of its game Saturday against Oregon State at Beasley Coliseum. The rest of the Warriors, except for Curry, will be playing the Orlando Magic that day at Chase Center.
Thompson has not played since suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in Game 6 of the NBA Finals last June, but he spoke positively of his rehab Tuesday. He and Curry, sidelined since breaking his left hand Oct. 30, have sat together on the Warriors bench at several home games this season and took their act on the road last week when the Warriors played the Clippers in Los Angeles.
Thompson is only the second Washington State player to have his number retired. The other is Steve Puidokas, who played for the Cougars from 1973-77.
“I’m excited for him,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s a great honor, and I wish I could be there.”
In three seasons at WSU, Thompson became the school’s third all-time leading scorer. He averaged 17.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and made a schoolrecord 242 3-pointers. When he was selected No. 11 overall by Golden State in the 2011 draft, he became just the second player from WSU ever selected in the first round. The other is Don Collins, taken 18th overall in 1980 by the Atlanta Hawks.
In December, Draymond Green had his number retired at Michigan State.
Curry hasn’t yet graduated from Davidson, so his number can’t be retired.
“One day, maybe I’ll make it out to Davidson, too,” Thompson said. “He got to go and get that degree first, though. He’s got some work to do.”
• The Warriors signed guard Damion Lee to a multiyear contract, the team announced. Lee, 27, had signed a two-way contract with Golden State in July and will be promoted to the 15-man roster with a standard NBA contract. According to The Athletic, the deal is for three years and has a partial guarantee for the 2020-21 season.
• Center Marquese Chriss signed a two-way contract, the team announced, coming back to the team after clearing waivers.
Chriss, 22, was waived by the Warriors earlier this month in order to make room for Lee.
Chriss will have 24 days of eligibility under a two-way contract. Without practices, those days should take him through mid-March, at which point the Warriors can sign him to a prorated minimum contract with additional years.
• Down by double-digits late in the third quarter, rookie Jordan Poole counted to four, rose to his feet and, with a grin, pointed to the Warriors’ bench where Stephen Curry was sitting.
Poole had gotten fouled while making his third 3-pointer of the game and copied Curry’s signature finger-counting celebration. Poole’s performance was one of few encouraging stories as the Warriors’ losing streak hit nine games in Tuesday’s 124-97 loss to the Mavericks at Chase Center.
After struggling for most of the season, Poole, the No. 28 pick in June’s draft, had every reason to doubt his skills. Still, he finished with 17 points on 6-for-12 shooting (3 for 7 from 3-point range), five assists and one memorable moment with the twotime MVP.
“When they tell you to keep shooting the ball, it really gives you a different sense of urgency and appreciation,” Poole said.
Golden State’s offense continued to struggle. Though Poole made three 3-pointers in the game, his teammates managed only six more, as the Warriors went 9-for-32 from beyond the arc and shot 44.8% overall compared to 51% overall for the Mavericks.