Steve Kerr makes Klay Thompson admission after Warriors beat Mavericks on Christmas

The Dallas Mavericks lost to the Golden State Warriors 126-116 on Christmas Day. It marked the fifth time that Klay Thompson has played his former team, and the fourth time in the Chase Center. He spent 13 years with the franchise, playing 11 (he missed two due to injury), winning four championships and making five All-Star Games.

Thompson was underwhelming in this game, finishing with 7 points on 3/8 shooting in 26 minutes. It was far from the lethal shooting he put on display last year against his former team, even if he did have a few nice baskets. And while he got a nice round of applause, it's always going to be strange for Warriors fans to see him in another uniform.

It's even stranger for those who spent so much time with Thompson in that organization. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr acknowledged as much after the game.

“I’ll never get used to seeing Klay on the other side. I miss Klay. Wish he was still here,” Kerr said.

"I'll never get used to seeing Klay on the other side."

Steve Kerr says he wishes Klay Thompson was still on the Warriors 🥺 pic.twitter.com/6FzTEdiwww
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 26, 2025

There has been some wondering out loud if Klay Thompson would ever end his career with the franchise he's most known for. Negotiations didn't go the greatest, and he decided to seek greener pastures because of that. He wound up with the Mavericks as part of a six-team sign-and-trade, where the Mavericks had to send Josh Green to the Charlotte Hornets.

Thompson's tenure in Dallas has been anything but what he expected. He figured he'd be the beneficiary of the superb offensive abilities of Luka Doncic and Kyrie, who had so much gravity that it made life easy for Thompson, and that's what happened when everyone was healthy.

But then, Doncic was hurt on Christmas, was shockingly traded in February, and Kyrie Irving tore his ACL in March. Since then, Thompson just hasn't been nearly as impactful because the team doesn't have good playmaking anymore.

Dec 25, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (left) shoots against Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Klay Thompson Talk Return to Chase Center

It would've been more special if this game had been back at Oracle arena, but it was still good for Klay Thompson to come back to the Bay Area and see a lot of people he's familiar with. Stephen Curry, who is a sneaker free agent, ended up wearing a pair of Thompson's ANTA signature shoes for this game.

Afterwards, Thompson talked about returning to the Chase Center. “It feels like a great day to showcase our talent on Christmas. It’s obviously not as emotional compared to the 1st time, but it’s always fun coming back & seeing a lot of familiar faces,” he said.

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