Confirmed: Thompson will reappear against Cavs on Sunday

Everything is ready: After two years away, the escort of the Golden state warriors, Klay thompson, is ready to return to the court and will do so on Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliersthe player announced.

Thompson was cleared to play and will be in his first game in more than two and a half years after being sidelined with two devastating injuries.

Coach Steve Kerr did not confirm Thompson’s status after Saturday’s practice, saying “it’s not my announcement or decision that I should make.” He also instructed the media to monitor their phones gratefully for putting up with his “charade.”

Thompson will start but with a few minutes for now.

Thompson, 31, has not played since he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals when Toronto clinched the championship. While recovering from surgery for that injury, he tore his right Achilles tendon during practice the day before training camp began.

“When I get back, if it’s tomorrow night, it will be one of the most exciting basketball nights of my life,” Kerr said.

Thompson, now sporting an old-school headband that he plans to stick with as his curly hair is longer, knows it will take time to regain his pre-injury rhythm and performance on both ends of the court.

“The game needs Klay, he’s one of the best shooters to ever play this game,” said his teammate. Juan Toscano-Anderson. “The magnitude of this moment is enormous.”

Tickets are a rare commodity for Sunday’s home game with the Cavaliers after months of speculation about when Thompson would finally return to the court. He will do it at home at Chase Center as scheduled.

In November, when the Warriors got off to a 15-2 start, he declared “it’s championship or flop” and pointed out that they would be much better once he came back.

Kerr spoke with the team last week about adjustments to make to get Thompson back in the rotation, as there will be fewer minutes and opportunities for the players who have already contributed significantly to this impressive start for Golden State.

Associated Press contributed to this report.