In Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, Klay Thompson went up for a dunk and came back down never the same.
Thompson’s left knee buckled during an awkward landing under the rim against the Toronto Raptors. In the blink of an eye, the course of Thompson’s career and the Golden State Warriors had forever changed. Thompson’s ACL was torn, and so was his place as the Warriors’ constant.
Thompson had been the Warriors’ flame-throwing metronome, a five-time All-Star with a gritty resiliency that few could match. He had never suffered a major injury or anything serious enough to knock him out for anything beyond a handful of games.