Captain Klay loves The Bay. And his boat.
Warriors star Klay Thompson hasn’t played in two seasons due to injury so he has developed the newfound nautical hobby of boating. In a recent interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s “Dubs Talk” podcast, Thompson shared two of the names he calls his beloved boat.
“I have a few names for her,” Thompson told Kerith Burke. “I call her the Nordic Knife or Splash Express.”
“She was made in Norway, so she’s Norweigian, I think. She cuts the water like a knife, so I call her the Nordic Knife. People are, like, ‘Why would you name your boat after a weapon?’ It’s not a weapon, it’s just the way she rides. She’s so fast. And then Splash Express is when I’m carrying all my friends on board.”
Never change, Klay.
Teammates like James Wiseman have hopped aboard his boat, which he frequently features on his Instagram.
Thompson lives in the East Bay but doesn’t mess with the Bay Bridge traffic when he wants to skip across to San Francisco. So, how long does it take for him to make his commute to Chase Center?
“If you have nice conditions out there, no wind, small swell, I can get to the city in like 15 minutes at, like, 35 knots,” Thompson said. “It’s insane. It’s insane, I feel like Batman. But if it’s a rough day out there on the Bay -- which most of the time it is -- you gotta take your time. It’s about a 35- to 40-minute cruise. But it’s like you’re on the open ocean, passing Alcatraz, going under the Bay Bridge. It’s incredible. It’s the best way to go to work, ever. You can’t have a bad day when you tie up at the dock.”
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Gotta love Klay’s passion. And, for those wondering, 35 knots is over 40 miles per hour.
While Warriors fans are just counting down the days for Thompson’s potential return in January, the eccentric star is just living his best life on the ocean.
“It’s just humbling, you just feel so small,” Thompson said. “Especially when you go outside the [Golden] Gate and you’re on the open ocean off-shore. We’re just like a speck. Especially in the Pacific blue.”
Thompson also said he has been keeping a journal for the past six years and is kicking around the idea of developing a TV series from a book called “Danger Zone,” which focuses on a high school basketball player. Thompson said he’s talking with author David Klass about the project.
You never know what to expect from a renaissance man like Klay.