“It does suck losing Klay. There’s no two ways around it. So, you have to be able to celebrate what we accomplished, but then be able to move on.” Stephen Curry’s statement perfectly highlighted how thousands of Bay Area fans took the exit of his ‘Splash Brother.’ For 13 years, Klay Thompson had worn nothing but a Warriors jersey, with the number 11 adoring his back. For more than a decade, he was the second in command, helping Curry with the offensive load. Now, with the Dallas Mavericks holding their Media Day, the same fans were bracing themselves to see Thompson in his new role.

Earlier today, the 34-year-old shooting guard was captured heading to the highly anticipated presser. The moment of dread had finally come, as Klay Thompson was seen donning the white, black, and blue colors of the Dallas Mavericks, with 11 having now been replaced by 31. The player seemed to be in high spirits, fist-bumping another individual and sharing a warm greeting with Kyrie Irving. He then stepped onto the main shoot area to capture his first official Media Day image as a member of the Texas franchise.

A closer look would also cause viewers to notice that along with the Mavericks jersey, Thompson was also debuting the newest release of his ANTA shoe line. Dubbed as the ‘ANTA KT 10’, it has a distinguishable blue colorway, with clearly celebrates the player’s new chapter. While the shoes and his teammates might have made the vibe good for the player, fans on social media aren’t.

How are NBA fans expressing their frustration on seeing Klay Thompson in a Mavericks jersey?

One social media user did not choose to mince around with words. Instead, he outright stated “This s**t is absolutely disgusting” while also tagging Thompson’s official account.

Even Stephen Curry once highlighted feeling ‘disgusted’ over the trade, though it was more of a joke than a serious display of emotions. Back in early September, Stephen Curry was present at the WNBA matchup between Sabrina Ionescu’s New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces. Thompson was there with his new teammate, Dereck Lively II. Coming across the Mavericks trio, the three-point leader hilariously exclaimed “Eww, eww” causing Thompson and Lively II to let out a laugh. Unfortunately, the comment left by the above-mentioned X user was no joke.

If people had forgotten the sadness that came over them during that early period in July, seeing Thompson adorning different colors certainly did not help things. As one fan stated upon watching the video, “It breaks my heart.”

The days following Thompson’s exit announcement had caused several of his teammates to pay tribute to the shooting guard. Back in July, Brandin Podziemski revealed how the veteran touched his feelings by calling up, and that “him telling me I’ll always have a brother in him for life, is pretty cool.” Draymond Green, who played alongside Thompson for the entirety of his career till the 2024 season, stated the same month that “It’s a classic tale of, uh, suppressing your emotions right now. I haven’t really allowed myself to process it. I don’t want to.” It won’t be until the duo come across him on the basketball court when reality may finally kick in.

For those who had seen only 11 adorning Thompson’s back, and even owning a jersey with that number, seeing another one was not set to bode well. As expected, one social media user downright stated “31 just don’t sit right with me.”

Unfortunately, Klay Thompson couldn’t wear the No 11 with the Mavericks. After all, that numerical is already occupying the jersey of Kyrie Irving. 11 meant a lot to Thompson as it reflected him being the 11 overall pick during the 2011 Draft. Starting a new chapter, however, the player wanted to use the number on his back to pay tribute to someone else. As revealed by his father and former NBA player Mychal Thompson, the shooting guard chose 31 to pay tribute to his idol: Reggie Miller.

Amidst all the hate, however, some still chose to put out a good word, no matter whether they liked the situation or not. As a result, after glancing at Thompson’s video, one individual wrote “Very bizarre. Hope he does well for them tho good luck klay.”

Given that Thompson had his reasons for leaving the franchise, it is certainly not right to blame the player for abandoning his former team.

Overall, the majority of the reactions had fans being unable to accept the reality of the situation. No matter how many memes went viral, or how many gameplay videos of NBA 2K25 with Thompson competing against the Warriors made the rounds of YouTube, seeing the moment in reality is a whole different thing.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.