How Golden State Warriors plan to honor Klay Thompson when he returns with the Mavericks

When Klay Thompson returns to San Francisco on Tuesday with the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors fans will salute him with an “Aye aye, Captain.”

The Warriors said Friday they plan to distribute 18,064 captain’s hats, similar to the one Thompson would wear while commuting in his boat across San Francisco Bay to Chase Center, where Golden State plays. Thompson spent the first 13 seasons of his NBA career with the Warriors, winning four NBA championships, before joining the Mavericks this year.

Stephen Curry, the other half of the “Splash Brothers,” will address the crowd during the “Salute to Captain Klay,” and fans will be encouraged to literally tip their caps to Thompson.

“This might be the most emotional, impactful homecoming that will ever happen,” Warriors president and chief operating officer Brandon Schneider told reporters Friday in a video conference. “Not just for the Warriors, but for anybody, given the history that he’s had.”

It will be both teams’ first game in the NBA Emirates Cup, the in-season tournament.

“With Klay, it’s not the records or championships or clutch shots that stand out the most from the last 13 years – it’s the truly unique relationship he developed with the Bay Area and our fans,” Schneider said in a news release. “He embraced Dub Nation and Dub Nation embraced him back. Warriors fans have laughed, cried, cheered and celebrated alongside him, and it’s only fitting that they get a chance to show their love and salute him in his return to the Bay.”