Sports

Warriors Guard Klay Thompson Returns to Practice

Published

10 years ago

June 2, 2015

In this photo taken May 27, 2015, Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson reacts after taking a knee to his head from Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA basketball Western Conference finals. The Warriors hope to get healthy and stay in tune over the next week before facing the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Thompson needs to pass through the league’s concussion protocol and Stephen Curry is trying to get his aching body back at full strength. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

ANTONIO GONZALEZ, AP Basketball Writer

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson is one step away from being cleared to play in the NBA Finals.

Thompson returned to practice Monday, a major step in the All-Star shooting guard’s recovery. Thompson said he feels great and is just waiting on final clearance from doctors under the NBA’s concussion protocol to play in Game 1 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.

“I expect to be (cleared),” Thompson said. “I’m well on my way there. I haven’t been cleared yet, but I fully expect to be in the next couple days.”

So long as Thompson remains symptom free, the team said he will be cleared to play in the finals.

Thompson suffered a concussion after getting kneed in the head by Houston’s Trevor Ariza in Golden State’s Western Conference finals clinching win Wednesday night. Team doctors initially cleared Thompson to return to the game. He ended up not playing, and the team said he started developing symptoms after the game.

Thompson’s father, former NBA player Mychal Thompson, had to drive his son home because he was feeling ill — including vomiting a couple of times. He also needed stitches on his right ear after the hit caused blood to spill down the side of his head.

“It looked much worse than it was,” Thompson said. “Honestly, I only had one tough night, and that was the night of the game. I just had a headache until I went to sleep. But I woke up the next morning feeling all right. I got a good breakfast and I felt great, honestly. It was just that night of the game that my head was just a little shook.”

Thompson said he passed initial concussion tests and felt fine, including during his interview on the ESPN broadcast. He said doctors told him it was common for symptoms to show up later after another test confirmed the concussion.

“It might have been because of my adrenaline. I was so excited because we played so well,” he said. “Honestly, I felt great through the celebration and everything. And then a couple hours after the game I just had a little headache and felt a little woozy.”

He said Ariza told him after the game the hit wasn’t intentionally — and Thompson didn’t think it was, either. He said he has watched the play a few times.

“I was trying to get a shot fake up and then trying to go by him. It’s just unfortunate when I was trying to go by him I caught his knee,” he said.

It was the second time Thompson has been concussed. He said his first concussion came during his freshman year of high school.

“I knew it wouldn’t take me more than a few days to get back to normal,” Thompson said. “The last one I got was worse than the one I got last week. To me, I think it was mild. It wasn’t real severe. But it’s perfect timing having a week off to get fully healthy.”

Thompson missed practices Friday and Saturday and the team was off Sunday, when he sat in the stands at the Coliseum watching the Oakland Athletics beat the New York Yankees 3-0. He had done some running and shooting before going through every part of Monday’s practice, including a five-on-five scrimmage.

Teammates said he looked great, and they didn’t miss a chance to tease Thompson for his always stoic demeanor.

“Hard to tell,” Warriors center Andrew Bogut joked, “Pre- and post-concussion symptoms, he’s the same.”

Warriors coach Steve Kerr reiterated he believes Thompson will start in Game 1. He had said Saturday that he had not even been preparing to play without him.

In other injury news, Kerr said backup center Festus Ezeli returned to practice after sitting out Saturday with an illness. Reserve forward Marreese Speights, who missed all of the conference finals with a strained right calf, also participated in practice, Kerr said.

___

Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP

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WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries Kick Off Season with Community Programs in Oakland

“The Golden State Valkyries are more than a team—they’re a movement,” said Oakland Interim-Mayor Kevin Jenkins. “Their touchdown in Oakland marks a new era of opportunity, inspiration, and equity in sports. This partnership reflects our city’s deep commitment to uplifting women, investing in youth, and building a community where every dream has a place to grow. We’re proud to welcome the Valkyries to The Town.”

Published

4 days ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

The Valkyries came to Oakland City Hall with a “Hoopbus.” Present were (from left to right): City Councilmembers Noel Gallo, Rebecca Kaplan, Zac Unger and Rowena Brown; Oakland Mayor-elect Barbara Lee, Valkyries President Jess Smith, a Valkyries team representative and Deputy Mayor LaNiece Jones. Photo courtesy Rebecca Kaplan’s office.

Team installs new nets at playgrounds, holds flag-raisings at City Halls in Oakland and S.F.

Special to The Post

The Golden State Valkyries brought the excitement of their inaugural season to every corner of the Bay Area with a full slate of community celebrations leading up to their historic home-opener against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Friday.

The week featured flag-raising ceremonies at city halls in Oakland and San Francisco, three “Violet Net” installation days at Oakland parks to encourage basketball play, fun “Hoopbus” takeovers at multiple schools presented by Kaiser Permanente, and player appearances.

In total, 90 violet nets were installed on 45 basketball courts across 34 public parks throughout Oakland this week. A list of the parks receiving violet nets can be found at Valkyries.com.

About the Golden State Valkyries

The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA affiliate of the seven-time NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, were announced as the 13th WNBA franchise on Oct. 5, 2023. According to Norse mythology, Valkyries are a host of warrior women who are fearless and unwavering – flying through air and sea alike.

This brand is Golden State’s modern interpretation of Valkyries: strong, bold, and fierce. Tipping off during the 2025 WNBA season, the team is headquartered in Oakland and will play home games at Chase Center in San Francisco. For Golden State Valkyries’ assets, including team logos, visit valkyries.com.

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McClymonds High Names School Gym for Star Graduate, Basketball Legend Bill Russell

William “Bill” Felton Russell was born on Feb. 12, 1934, and died on July 31, 2022. He achieved fame as a U.S. professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 NBA championships during his 13-year career.

Published

3 months ago

February 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Bill Russell and Brian McGhee in McClymonds High School Gym, 2011. Photo courtesy of Brian McGhee.

By Ken Epstein

West Oakland’s McClymonds High School, “the School of Champions,” this week named the school’s gymnasium in honor of one of its most famous graduates, basketball legend Bill Russell (class of ’52).

Russell is widely known as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. In 2011, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civil honor, from President Barack Obama for Russell’s contributions to basketball and the Civil Rights Movement.

The McClymonds’ naming ceremony was held on Wednesday, the same day as Russell’s birthday. Oakland leader Bill Patterson, a longtime friend of Russell’s, was scheduled to cut the ribbon at the reopening of the gym, which had been closed for several months for renovation. Russell’s daughter Karen was scheduled to attend the ribbon cutting.

Russell’s name and signature are now printed on the gymnasium floor.

Patterson was working at DeFremery Park when he met Russell. “I befriended him as a boy and during his years at University of San Francisco” said Patterson. “We stayed friends for the rest of his life.”

Said McClymonds Principal Darielle Davis, herself a McClymonds graduate, “We are excited to honor Bill Russell for his sports accolades and because he broke color barriers. He is part of our legacy, and legacy is really important at McClymonds.”

Brian McGhee, community schools manager at McClymonds and former football player at UC Berkeley, said that Russell meant a lot to him and others at the school. “He was a beacon of light and hope for West Oakland,” he said. “He did a lot for sports and for civil rights.”

Starting in 2018, Ben “Coach” Tapscott worked with Patterson and other McClymonds grads, community members, and former coaches to encourage the Oakland Board of Education to endorse the naming of the school gym, which finally happened recently.

“We worked hard to make this happen,” said Tapscott. “He’s an important part of McClymond’s history, along with a lot of other famous graduates,” he said.

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OPINION: Politics, Football and Identity in Trump’s America

If you haven’t noticed, all Americans are engaged in an even bigger game that means so much more than the Super Bowl. Our democracy is falling apart.

Published

3 months ago

February 17, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Emil Guillermo

Two Filipino American stories made headlines recently.

First, Nikko Remigio, the Filipino and African American kick returner for the Kansas City Chiefs, did not win Super Bowl LIX.

The other, Alameda’s Rob Bonta said no to running for governor. I don’t blame him. It’s not like a mass of people wanted him to run.

But I did.

Whenever there is a Filipino American in a place you don’t expect, I’m rooting for that person.

As California’s Attorney General, Bonta is probably the most active defender among Blue States pushing back against Trump’s Extreme-Right agenda.

I’d like to Bonta run for California’s top job, but he’s better off waiting in line. The Democrats need a spot for Kamala Harris, and Bonta not running obliges the hierarchy.

History can wait. Bonta’s just 52.

Harris has held off speculation of her next move, saying she just moved back to the state. But it seems governor is the path for her.

For now, Bonta needs to continue taking the fight to Trump in the courts.

Football and Identity Politics

My dad, whose birthday would have been Super Bowl weekend, came to the US in 1928 as a colonized Filipino, an “American National,” where he couldn’t be a citizen, vote, own property or even marry the person he wanted.

Not if they were White.

Still, he believed in America. He never gave up.

Sort of like Nikko Remigio.

My dad would have loved Nikko.

If you haven’t noticed, all Americans are engaged in an even bigger game that means so much more than the Super Bowl. Our democracy is falling apart.

You want to get passionate about Eagles and Chiefs?

Let’s be passionate about our Founding Fathers, too.

Nikko didn’t change the game. He touched it three times and provided more yards than all of KC’s running backs.

That’s all I needed to see.

He’s our Filipino guy.

Detractors may call it “identity politics.”

People don’t seem to understand the fight for visibility. To be recognized. To be seen. It’s all wrapped up in the big idea of Civil Rights.

I was nowhere near as good as Nikko when I played. But when you are blessed to play football, you play your hardest.

For me, that was when I was 12 and 13 playing Pop Warner football in San Francisco. I was MVP for my team as a running back.

But I was ashamed of my dad. He wasn’t like the other dads. And I remember going to the team banquet to retrieve my trophy alone.

I didn’t realize it probably meant more to him than I thought.

I wish I had shared my MVP moment with him like Nikko shared his joy with his dad, Mark, born in Seattle to two Filipino immigrants, and his mom, whose mixture of Black and White made Nikko the picture of diversity.

Filipino American and Black and White at the Super Bowl.

But don’t forget, there is one game bigger.

The Super Bowl for Democracy. We’re battling for it every day Trump pushes a cockamamie idea that shakes the foundation of our Democracy.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is an award-winning journalist and commentator. Watch his micro-talk show “Emil Amok’s Takeout/What Does an Asian American Think?” on www.YouTube.com/emilamok1 Or join him on http://www.patreon.com/emilamok