The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

In a move that was expected, but still a sigh of relief to basketball enthusiasts and Golden State Warriors fans, Bahamian descendant Klay Thompson was cleared to return to the floor when the NBA Finals tip off tonight.

The Warriors announced yesterday that Thompson successfully underwent all of the league’s concussion protocols and will be in the starting lineup for game one, broadcast live on ABC at 9pm.

In the playoffs, he is averaging 19.7 points per game, while shooting 45 per cent from the field and 42 per cent from beyond the three-point arch.

Thompson, the All-Star guard, suffered the injury May 27 in game five of the Conference Finals against the Houston Rockets when he  took a knee to the head by Rockets forward Trevor Ariza.

He went on to pass the NBA’s in-game concussion protocol and was ruled eligible to return to the game. Thompson finished with 20 points but did not return to the game following the incident.

It was the second head injury for the Warriors in as many games after MVP-point guard Stephen Curry’s scary fall in game four of the series, which the team ruled as a contusion. Curry returned to the game shortly thereafter.

Following the two high profile head injuries of the Warriors’ vaunted “Splash Brothers” backcourt, the NBA Player’s Association has hired neurologists to investigate whether the league’s concussion policy is up to the standards set by today’s modern medicine and attention to head injuries.

Head of the players union Michele Roberts reportedly disagreed with the ruling to make Thomspon eligible to return to the game.

Roberts said she believes players should be held out longer after suffering head injuries, but will wait to find out what the specialists say before taking further action.

The NBA has averaged 13 concussions a season over the past four years since protocols were first put in place, according to ESPN.

Klay’s father, Bahamian basketball icon Mychal Thompson - former No.1 overall pick and two time NBA champion - discussed his son’s condition on ESPN’s “Mike and Mike” radio show and was optimistic on a timetable to return immediately following the injury.

In a follow up interview on Monday with Los Angeles News Group, Thompson discussed the recovery process for his son.

“It was unfortunate, but it was an accident. Trevor Ariza is not a dirty player by any means. It’s just one of those unfortunate things that happens on the court. When something like that happens, you have to rest, take it easy and let the symptoms pass,” he said.

The younger Thompson played college basketball for three seasons at Washington State University before being selected by Golden State with the 11th pick of the 2011 NBA draft.

In a breakout season this year alongside Curry, he set an NBA record with 484 combined three-pointers.

Thompson was named an NBA All-Star and selected to the All-NBA Team in 2015.

Always a strong presence in the Bahamas, both Mychal and Klay are frequent participants in the annual Jeff Rodgers Summer Basketball Camp, while Klay’s brother Mychel was a member of the Bahamas’ national team at the 2014 Centrobasket tournament.