Klay Thompson sits in the press room after the season-opening win, which was also his first official game with the Dallas Mavericks.

Unable to hide his joy and happiness, Thompson took the match score sheet on the table, folded it into a paper airplane, and launched it past a group of reporters, reaching the camera array at the back of the room.

It’s been a long time since Klay has been this happy. He’s even happier now that the former Golden State Warriors player just helped his new team, the Dallas Mavericks, win and break a club record.

With six successful 3-pointers in a 120-109 win over the San Antonio Spurs, Klay Thompson broke the record for most successful long-range shots in a Dallas Mavericks debut.

“I was extremely nervous and stressed, both before and during the game. But when I saw the first ball leave my hand and go into the basket, everything disappeared,” Thompson told reporters.

“Just like that, the match went by in a scenario that I couldn’t be happier with. Breaking a record is always exciting. Even more so when it comes in a victory. I’m very grateful for this moment, for this dream opening match with my new team.”

This past summer, Klay Thompson (34 years old) joined the Dallas Mavericks with a 3-year contract worth 50 million USD.

He left the Golden State Warriors after 13 years, participating in a trade involving six different teams to land in Dallas.

And now in his first official appearance, Thompson scored 22 points with 7 rebounds, throwing in 6 3-pointers to set a “debut” record in the new jersey.

This opening is in complete contrast to Klay’s ending at the Golden State Warriors, where he encountered many psychological and mental barriers, leading to an extremely difficult Playoffs series for Thompson personally as well as the Warriors as a whole.

Hope “all goes well”

In June, the Dallas Mavericks struggled with a lack of perimeter firepower in the 2024 NBA Finals series, falling 1-4 and losing to the Boston Celtics.

This prompted the Mavericks leadership to look for a quality pitcher, considering this the top target in the transfer market last summer.

When the opportunity to recruit Klay Thompson gradually appeared, Dallas did not hesitate to bring to the team one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA at the moment.

Today in his first official game, Klay Thompson responded to the coaching staff’s trust with a record-breaking 3-pointer.

Although this is only game 1 of 82 appearances in the Regular Season, not to mention the Playoffs, it is the first step that fans, coaching staff and Dallas Mavericks management want to see.

Thompson’s first successful shot came on a trademark stepback, receiving an assist from Luka Doncic.

Speaking of the Slovenian star, Luka Doncic had 28 points on the first day the three Dallas stars shared the court. During the preseason when both Kyrie and Klay played, Doncic was rested due to a minor injury.

“Having Klay Thompson on the court makes things a lot easier for both me and Kyrie,” Doncic said. “I was terrible today, so I tried to make up for it with defense and assists. And Klay had a great game in his debut. Can’t complain about anything else.”

With the “head in the door,” coach Jason Kidd’s team hopes to “finish the ball in the door” for the remainder of the season. Thompson personally kept his feet on the ground, believing that he and the team still have a lot of work to do.

“It’s just the first game and we have 81 more Regular Season games to go. I don’t want to get too excited or anything. There are still challenges ahead, but I can say I’m very excited for the season.”

The Dallas Mavericks will play their next game this weekend, traveling to Arizona to take on the Phoenix Suns on Sunday morning Vietnam time.

Here, the NBA’s star-studded lineup will reunite, including Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, Klay Thompson, and face Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.