“Coming off the bench gave me fresh legs”: Klay Thompson’s hilarious response to notching 15,000 career points

Klay Thompson made NBA and Warriors history by eclipsing his career 15,000 points mark, becoming the 148th player to reach the milestone, including 21 active players on the list. He did it against the Utah Jazz on Thursday, Feb. 15.

Thompson came out blazing against the Jazz, notching 17 points in the first half on 7 of 11 shooting (63.6%), including 3 of 6 from the 3-point line (50.0%), with three rebounds and two assists in 12 minutes of play.

In the half-time break, Thompson was given the news of reaching this historic milestone, to which he replied:

"Wow! Let's Go!"

Warriors announcer Bob Fitzgerald asked him about what his mindset was heading into the game while applauding his 10 quick points in the first quarter, Thompson candidly replied (via ClutchPoints):

"Well, coming off the bench gave me fresh legs and especially after a back-to-back, that was nice to come in with a fresh and clean slate and I took great shots out there."

He continued:

"God I got some great looks from three, that one on the right wing felt so good. We can replicate that in the half and go into All-Star break happy."

The Warriors had their five-game winning streak snapped on the first night of their back-to-back in the 125-130 loss against the visiting LA Clippers, where Thompson struggled with 12 points, three rebounds, and an assist on 4 of 14 shooting, including 1 of 9 from the 3-point line.

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Klay Thompson comes off the bench for the first time since rookie year

Klay Thompson came off the bench for the first time since March 11, 2012, in the Warriors' game against the Utah Jazz, with rookie Brandin Podziemski starting as shooting guard.

This marks a significant lineup change for the Warriors, altering the long-standing starting backcourt duo of Thompson and Stephen Curry.

After missing two full seasons due to injuries, Klay Thompson has faced challenges this season, with his scoring average dropping to 17 points per game, his lowest since his second year in the league.

Additionally, there have been instances where Warriors' coach Steve Kerr has not included Thompson in the closing lineup of games.

Thompson had a streak of 727 straight regular-season starts before Thursday. He's also started in all of the 158 NBA playoff games he's played.

Without a deal for the upcoming seasons, Thompson's current performance isn't meeting his expectations, and the recent development is likely to bother him for some time.