'Legend' Ferrell raised Klay's spirits in rehab then gave Dubs boost originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The Warriors entered Thursday night's game in desperate need of a way to shift the energy surrounding a team that had lost nine of 11 and five in a row.
There was no rah-rah speech from head coach Steve Kerr. No explitive-filled lashing from an injured Draymond Green. Instead, Golden State received a visit from Will Ferrell. Well, Jackie Moon, to be precise.
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The comedy king showed up to Chase Center dressed in his full costume from the movie "Semi-Pro." He warmed up with the Warriors and spoke to them in the locker room before thei 112-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Klay Thompson's love for "Semi-Pro" has been well-documented. The Warriors star, who has been mired in a horrible slump, was surprised when Ferrell came on to the court to warm up with him dressed as Moon. Thompson, who scored 20 points in the win, spoke afterward about how Ferrell and "Semi-Pro" helped him get through the tough times during two long rehabs.
“That movie, Semi Pro, during my rehabilitation, when I would have some dark days, I would just put that movie on and it would make me smile. I’m very thankful for that film," Thompson said after the game of Ferrell.
“That was so much fun," Thompson said of having Ferrell around pregame. "That was some of the most fun I have had on the court this year. I am very appreciative that Will could come out and lighten the mood, especially after the losing streak we had. I’m not going to say he’s responsible for the win tonight but I think he was a huge catalyst for why he came out guns blazing. He’s a legend.”
Steph Curry echoed Thompson's sentiments, commending Ferrell for the "vibes" he brought to the down-on-their-luck Dubs.
“It was fun, and I'm glad we took advantage of it, but ... we lost like four, five straight, you add that to the mix, get a little distracted, but we fed off the energy," Curry said. "I was actually surprised about his form — he actually had some good rotation on the ball. Endless energy. ... I thought it was just going to be a couple minutes and just messing around, but he gave it a full warm-up session, [and] he was out there doing everything. He gave us a riveting speech before the game in our team meeting. It was good vibes, he's obviously hilarious, so he brought it today."
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Ferrell's visit to Golden State was the actor's idea. Head coach Steve Kerr told reporters postgame that Ferrell emailed him and the two came up with the idea executed Thursday.
"He actually emailed me a while back and I didn't believe it was him," Kerr said. "So we exchanged a couple of emails and concocted the plan. He's a huge Klay Thompson fan and he knows how much Klay loves dressing up as Jackie Moon, so it was just a natural fit and felt like a good time to do it, just to make everyone laugh in a tough stretch of the season.
"He was great, he came into the locker room and made the guys laugh and everybody loved seeing him and hearing from him. He was hilarious. It was just something different to do."
In search of anything to help stem the tide, Kerr turned to a Flint Tropics legend to loosen his team up and get them to exhale with the postseason approaching.
The plan was successful Thursday as the Warriors put the clamps on the Clippers to snap their losing streak. Now, it's up to Kerr, Thompson and Curry to keep the good times created by Moon's visit going.
