The main storyline of Tuesday night’s game between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers may have been that it was the teams’ first matchup since their early February blockbuster trade.
The contest saw superstar guard Luka Doncic welcoming his former Mavericks teammates into his new home and Anthony Davis, Max Christie and company reuniting with their former Lakers buddies.
The evening featured another special moment following Los Angeles’ 107-99 victory, however, as Dallas small forward Klay Thompson was able to reconnect with Dr. Richard D. Ferkel.
The Southern California Orthopedic Institute surgeon repaired the five-time All-Star’s torn right Achilles in November 2020.
Thompson to Ferkel: ‘I Can’t Thank You Enough’
In a video posted to social media by Sam Amick of The Athletic, Ferkel and Thompson are seen meeting inside Crypto.com Arena following the contest. The sharpshooter then presents Ferkel with a 2022 championship ring from his time with the Golden State Warriors.
“Without you, I would not have been the second leading scorer on a championship team,” Thompson told Ferkel.
“I can’t thank you enough,” the surgeon responded.
“I can’t thank you enough. Are you kidding me?” the four-time champion responded. “I didn’t even think that was possible.”
Ferkel has long been associated with the Dubs, as he also operated on Thompson’s fellow “Splash Brother” — Stephen Curry — in April 2012. Curry missed the final 28 games during Thompson’s 2011-12 rookie season due to a sprained right ankle, which Ferkel surgically repaired.
Thompson Has Played in Nearly 90% of Games in Last Three Seasons
The son of 1978 first overall pick Mychal Thompson was selected 11th by the Warriors during the 2011 NBA Draft and made all five of his All-Star teams in consecutive years from 2015-19. The 35-year-old Thompson helped lead Golden State to five straight NBA Finals appearances during the stretch as well, capturing three titles in four seasons from 2015-18 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Washington State product suffered a torn ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, however, which started a lengthy, delayed rehab process.
Thompson missed the entire 2019-2020 campaign and was readying for the pushed back 2020-21 season before going down with a torn Achilles in November 2020. Thompson then missed all of that season before finally returning to the court on Jan. 9, 2022.
The two-time All-NBA third team member helped the Warriors take down the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals and averaged a career-high 4.1 rebounds per game across 69 contests during the 2022-23 campaign while posting his highest scoring numbers (21.9 points per game) in six years. After another solid season in 2023-24, Dub Nation was shocked when the organization broke up their core and traded Thompson to the Mavericks in a six-team blockbuster in July that landed Buddy Hield in the Bay Area.
The Los Angeles native’s points per game (13.9) may be his lowest figure since his rookie season, but that’s largely a product of playing alongside superstar Kyrie Irving (and Doncic for much of the season). What’s been most impressive has been Thompson’s durability since coming back from his devastating injuries.
After being limited to 32 games over three seasons from 2019-2022, he’s now suited up for 197 of a possible 223 contests during the 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns. That represents 88.3% of the total games.
Much of that can be attributed to Ferkel, and Thompson let him know just how thankful he was on Tuesday night.
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