Sports
How Klay Thompson's 13-year run with the Warriors splintered so unceremoniously
SAN FRANCISCO — The tensest of 24-hour stretches in Klay Thompson’s 13th and final season as a Golden State Warrior — ending in an unceremonious divorce that stunned so many this week — came directly before this past All-Star break, during and after a home collapse against the LA Clippers.
The Warriors were on a five-game win streak that opened in Brooklyn a week prior, the same night Steve Kerr opted to close with little-known Gui Santos over Thompson because Santos made a few fourth-quarter hustle plays and Thompson had been slumping.
It worked fine. The Warriors won. Santos had a feel-good moment. But the postgame story shifted to Thompson, who delivered an honest, viral locker room interview about his difficulty grasping this transitional moment of his career, seeming to fight tears while also emphasizing how proud he was of Santos.
The Warriors won the next four games, but Thompson’s struggles continued. They were 26-25, battling back above .500 now that Draymond Green had returned from suspension, but still desperate to climb up the conference standings before it was too late. Kerr was making rotation decisions with increased urgency and less sentimentality.
Fast forward five months and Thompson’s free agency departure for Dallas has so many in the league wondering: Why? How did it get to a point where a 13-year legacy player willingly walked away from a dynasty brand he helped build and an area that adored him so much?
It’s been a layered five-year path to this divorce, splintering last season, sprouting earlier and finalizing in the last couple weeks, where —among the conversations Thompson had, league sources said — was a request of Stephen Curry not to exert his significant organizational influence and up the temperature with management to ensure Thompson’s return. Curry’s measured voice, even if it altered the outcome, wouldn’t change the genuineness of Joe Lacob and the front office’s true desire to have Thompson back.
So there they were against the Clippers, up 12 in the fourth but in constant fear of blowing a large lead because they’d made it a habit. Thompson hit two jumpers to open the quarter, but his night wasn’t going well. Those jumpers made him 4 of 14 overall. He subbed out at the 7:01 mark and it became clear quickly that Kerr didn’t plan to go back to him. So Thompson stewed.
Strip away the quirks, anybody who knows Thompson will tell you that his competitive fire burns as deeply and as ferociously as anyone who has ever played. It’s a killer instinct that has him bound for the Hall of Fame. The franchise won titles and made countless millions, in part, because of that instinct the past decade.
But dense character traits can be attached to flaws in adverse moments. Thompson was never going to smoothly handle a reduced role. During an early December game in Phoenix — the same night Green nailed Jusuf Nurkić and earned an indefinite suspension — Thompson was pulled from the closing lineup for the first time in his career. In a fit of rage after learning the decision, Thompson whacked a cup rack behind the bench to the ground and needed to be pulled back by Curry as he lit up the coaching staff in the huddle.
On this February night against the Clippers, he planted himself on the bench and boiled, staring out at the court as his two legendary teammates, Curry and Green, were out there battling to preserve the dying days of a dynasty with a rookie, Brandin Podziemski, in his spot.
But another problem surfaced: When absorbed in existential thought (as Thompson tends to find himself), the details of the present (like the mechanics of a basketball game) can fade. The Clippers went up six with 48 seconds left. The Warriors called a timeout. Kerr knew they needed a 3. So he called for a cold Thompson, still one of the world’s greatest floor spacers and shooters, to replace Jonathan Kuminga.
The design worked. Thompson drew two off a screen, found a rolling Green, who hit Podziemski in the corner for 3. The Warriors were now only down three with 39.1 seconds left, plenty of time to play out the possession.
“We didn’t want to foul,” Kerr said. “It’s an obvious defend and play it out, get a rebound.”
Thompson didn’t calculate time and score. He committed an intentional foul after the inbound, sending Kerr and the Warriors’ bench into a collective spasm of frustration that’d be replayed quite publicly over the minutes and hours that followed. Some theorized postgame Thompson’s head was elsewhere.
These Warriors reactions to Klay’s late-game foul 😬 pic.twitter.com/3ehLxrrbwl
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 15, 2024
They lost again, a common factor at the core of most growing frustrations in sports. The proud Warriors were failing more often in increasingly bewildering ways, generating a perpetual blame game that was leaning Thompson’s way more than ever before.
This was an embarrassing blunder for him at one of the low points of his season, only compounded the next morning in Salt Lake City when Kerr, on the second night of a back-to-back, informed Thompson he’d be moving to the bench. He’d occupied the Warriors’ starting shooting guard spot for more than a decade, 727 consecutive games when healthy. It was an identity more than just a title.
But it was now being given to Podziemski, who was 8 when Thompson hit the first of his 2,982 3s (playoffs included) for the franchise. That news didn’t land softly. Thompson ripped into Kerr and his staff, team sources said, and spent some of that day grumbling about his inevitable summer departure from the franchise. His impending free agency loomed in the background all season.
But this is where the complexity and dichotomy of Thompson inevitably whipped back. He went out that night and torched the Utah Jazz for 35 points in 28 minutes and then sat down for another of his introspective postgame media sessions, telling the world he “deserved” the demotion, he’d “embraced” the role, he shouldn’t “pout” and then used Manu Ginobili’s career as a reference point.
Thompson and Kerr sat down for several heart-to-hearts over the last few seasons. Thompson detailed a few publicly, thanking Kerr for reminding him he needed to enjoy the final years of a historic career and not anguish over a chase to reclaim what he once was prior to the injuries. In one particular revealing soundbite, Thompson acknowledged the negative energy he’d been spreading and the need to be a better mentor.
“Sometimes I forget just how lucky and successful I’ve been,” Thompson said.
That version of Thompson is the reason so many within the Warriors expected him to circle back around in recent weeks, have all the necessary reconciliation conversations and ultimately decide on a reunion. He’s deeply proud of what he helped build and went into detail about his desire to remain with the Warriors forever prior to last season.
“I was here before banners were hung up,” Thompson said. “So in a way, it’s our baby. You want to ride it out. I’ve just been so lucky to be a part of this franchise. It’d be so hard to envision myself in another uniform.”
Kerr made some sensitive coaching decisions last season that, in retrospect, played a part in nudging Thompson out the door. In Kerr’s exit interview, he mentioned the desire to bring Thompson off the bench again (he won his starting job back by the end of the season) and the need to play him less in general, a soundbite that wouldn’t have helped in any theoretical negotiations with a player most proud of his durability and availability (a team-high 77 games at nearly 30 minutes per night last season) at this advanced stage of his career.
But the substantial relationship fracturing that led to this split points the microscope at upper management. Controlling owner Joe Lacob led a front-office effort to take a cold, mostly uncommunicative approach to Thompson’s next contract in his three summers of extension eligibility, league sources said, which isn’t separate from their norm. Lacob has done similar in the past with Curry, Kerr, Bob Myers, Andre Iguodala and Green, using dwindling time as a weapon but ultimately paying up (he put a substantial offer on the table for Myers) after a staring contest.
But Iguodala’s (in 2017) and Green’s (in 2023) are the two parallel situations that have popped up most in conversation about the split with Thompson that blindsided some Warriors’ executives in recent weeks. Iguodala and Green, both sharp and versed in the corporate world, used leverage to exact a better deal from the Warriors. Iguodala took his decision deep into free agency.
Thompson operates on his own wavelength. The Warriors’ decision-makers were warned that a drawn-out negotiation into July during this free-agent cycle wouldn’t be met the same way. He wasn’t trying to leverage his way back until the bitter end. After a bumpy end to a grumpy year, there was a realistic chance he went searching for a fresh start and more happiness elsewhere, regardless of how rapidly and warmly the Warriors prioritized him.
But his decision, as one source put it, became easy when the Warriors kicked him down the summer pecking order. They paid a record luxury-tax bill last season and didn’t make the playoffs, a cost-versus-benefit that is untenable. So Joe Lacob, Mike Dunleavy, Kirk Lacob and their front office set off this offseason to explore big-picture moves that could vault them into contention and salary-slicing moves that were more reasonable.
There was little communication between Thompson, the Warriors and Thompson’s agent, Greg Lawrence, and ultimately no offer in this cycle. Warriors sources maintained a plan to eventually make a competitive offer in relation to his market once other business was settled. But they never had the chance. Many league sources said Thompson’s decision to depart was unofficially made weeks ago.
Thompson and Stephen Curry celebrate a win in Oklahoma City in November 2023. (Alonzo Adams / USA Today)
Warriors sources will mention the two-year, $48 million offer put on Thompson’s desk back in the preseason, especially considering he is heading to the Dallas Mavericks on a lower per-year three-year and $50 million deal, as an example of their dollars-and-cents intent to keep him around longer term. But the two sides have differing versions of the firmness of the offer and, again, the true desire of the franchise’s lead decision-makers in valuing him as a can’t-lose member of the core, only becoming more complicated when Myers (the ultimate communicator) ceded his high-ranking position in June 2023.
An extension didn’t get done. It bled into the season. Thompson, who led the NBA in made 3s two years prior as the Warriors made the second round, saw a dip in his production. He still made the fourth-most 3s in the NBA, but went from 41.2 percent to 38.7 percent, slowed more defensively and saw a younger crop of Warriors (Podziemski, Moses Moody) begin to bump into his current and future playing time.
The real origin story of their split goes back to 2019. Thompson, at the absolute peak of his prime, tore his ACL on a Game 6 NBA Finals dunk attempt during one of the signature nights of his career. He had 30 points after he hobbled up to the free throw and buried both. Had he not fallen, those within the Warriors believe that series was going back to a Game 7 in Toronto and Thompson was destined for some sensational seasons through his mid-prime.
The Warriors rewarded him that summer with a five-year max deal, knowing he’d miss the following season. Thompson went without a player option on the end of it, a minor detail that now looms larger, considering he could’ve entered the market with Green the previous summer. Some of this is about timing. Despite becoming extension eligible right after the 2022 title like his three teammates, had Thompson been as close as Jordan Poole or Andrew Wiggins or Green to free agency, he’d likely still be around.
After Thompson went 0 of 10 in an elimination Play-In loss in Sacramento in April — his final game in a Warriors uniform — Green, when asked about Thompson’s future, mentioned that the Warriors’ leadership always takes care of its own.
“They did right by me,” Green said. “They’ve done right by Steph. They’ve done right by all of us. Klay tore his ACL and they gave him $160 million dollars.”
At a tense exit interview a few days later, Thompson — not directly at Green’s comment, but the prevailing theory that he owes the Warriors anything for the previous contract — bit back.
“Oh, man,” Thompson said. “Well, 2019, could you imagine if they didn’t pay me after I got hurt? That would have been really bad. Like, ‘Oh, you went to five straight finals, you blew your knee out, yeah, sorry.’ That was very nice of them.”
The Warriors let Thompson rehab his ACL mostly away from the facility during the 2019-20 season. Curry missed almost the entire season with a hand injury. Green missed part of it. They went an NBA-worst 15-50, but felt geared up for another run the following season.
That’s when one of the most consequential days in this run struck. On the same night the Warriors drafted James Wiseman second, Thompson ruptured his Achilles playing pickup basketball in Los Angeles, away from the team’s care and, he’d later admit, with too much weight.
“It might’ve been costly,” Thompson said in a 2021 interview with The Athletic. “I don’t know. I try not to think about it too much. But it just, uh, it’s something I learned from. I’m not in my early 20s anymore.”
Thompson was in the facility and far more committed to head medical decision-maker Rick Celebrini’s plan the second time around. But Thompson ended up missing 941 days and two-and-a-half seasons of his mid-prime, losing an intangible amount of his burst in the process. There were many thorny rehab and post-return interactions as Thompson struggled to fully grasp the best seasons of his basketball career getting ripped away. He did become more temperamental on a daily basis, team sources said.
But Thompson also worked diligently to reclaim every ounce of his former self and then served as a vital member of the 2022 championship run, averaging a team-high 36 minutes, appearing in all 22 playoff games and scoring 19 points per night. He hit eight 3s in closeout games over the Memphis Grizzlies and Mavericks to help secure the team’s sixth Western Conference title in his tenure. Then Thompson played 69 and 77 games and made 301 and 268 3s the next two seasons, respectively, his 12th and 13th in the league, giving him a strong belief that he has a whole lot more great basketball left and should be valued accordingly.
“I try every year I give my best effort,” Thompson said at his exit interview. “And the ownership group has been great. I have nothing but positive things to say about them. They treat us with great respect and do all the little things for us to do our jobs at the highest level … (But the future), it’s up to them.
“At the end of the day, whatever happens, it’s all gravy. It’s been such a freaking special run.”
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Kawakami: The poetic timing of Klay Thompson’s 13 seasons of splash for the Warriors
The Athletic staff: Klay Thompson to join Mavericks, Warriors get picks
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic. Photos: Getty; Mike Rasay / NBAE)
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The sports world was rocked by the death of legendary Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay on Wednesday.
The news struck especially hard for many of Irsay’s former Colts players, including Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.
Manning, who played his first 13 seasons for the Colts and helped them win the Super Bowl in the 2006 season, shared his respect for Irsay in an Instagram post Wednesday night.
“I am heartbroken to hear about Jim Irsay’s passing. He was an incredibly generous and passionate owner and I will always be indebted to him for giving me my start in the NFL. His love for the Colts and the city of Indy was unmatched. His impact on the players who played for him will not be forgotten. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and everyone in the Colts community. He will be missed. Jim, rest in peace my friend,” Manning wrote.
Many of Manning’s old Indianapolis teammates expressed their condolences too.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, #10, calls out at the line of scrimmage during an AFC wild card game in the NFL football playoffs against the New York Jets in Indianapolis. (AP)
Former Colts punter and current ESPN host Pat McAfee shared a long story in an X post on Wednesday, detailing his experience with Irsay throughout the punter’s career.
“The 1st time he and I really had an extended convo was at training camp after the lockout in 2011.. players and front office weren’t allowed to communicate with each other during the lockout but, Jim followed me on Twitter throughout the CBA negotiations, his first day at training camp, immediately after the lockout ended, he drove his golf cart over to where I was and started firing off questions about Twitter.. He enjoyed the thought of being able to connect with Colts fans all over the world,” McAfee wrote.
McAfee even credited Irsay for helping the punter succeed in his post-NFL career.
“When I decided to retire.. he and I had a 2.5 hour conversation in his office. He was sitting at his desk.. hitting the s— out of his vape .. and we talked about everything I was hoping to go do. He tried to stop me for a few minutes.. even offered to renegotiate my contract.. and then once he realized my decision was made.. the convo turned into him trying to give me as much game as possible about running a business and maintaining authenticity,” McAfee added.
“Jim has done everything he can to help me succeed.. He’d join our show anytime I asked, no matter where he was in the world.. He’d send me motivational messages when he heard I was going thru something.. he’d forward articles that he’d come across that he thought I should read.”
JALEN HURTS MAINTAINS HE ‘WASN’T AVAILABLE’ FOR EAGLES’ WHITE HOUSE VISIT
Jim Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts, speaks to the fans at Reggie Wayne’s induction into the Ring of Honor at Lucas Oil Stadium on Nov. 18, 2018 in Indianapolis. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Legendary NFL kicker Adam Viniatieri expressed his condolences to Irsay in an X post. Viniatieri cemented his legacy by helping the New England Patriots win three Super Bowls from 2001-2005, often beating the Colts on the way there. However, when Irsay’s team signed the kicker in 2006, it immidietly helped change the fortunes of both teams, as Viniatieri kicked the game-winning field goal against the Patriots in that year’s AFC championship game to send the Colts to the Super Bowl.
“I’m heartbroken to hear about the passing of Jim Irsay. He was more than just an owner, he as a man of the people and his generosity was unmatched. I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity to have played under his leadership, and his impact on my life. Rest in peace, Jim,” Viniatieri wrote.
Former Colts star wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, who played for Irsay’s team from 2012-2021, making four Pro Bowls, shared his love for Irsay in a post on X on Wednesday night.
“Please don’t ask me if I’m ok. Cuz I’m not. Thank You Sooo Much Mr.Irsay. I will forever hold our talks close to my heart. Love You! RIP Mr.Irsay,” Hilton wrote.
Several other current and former pro athletes paid respect to the owner on social media as well, including Robert Griffin III and the son of former legendary Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Marvin Harrison Jr.
Irsay’s father purchased the team in 1972, when they still played in Baltimore, for $12 million and moved the team in 1984. Irsay was the general manager of the team from 1982 to 1996 and became the NFL’s youngest owner at age 37, shortly after his dad’s death in 1997.
Irsay had several health issues over the years and battled drug and alcohol addiction, once admitting he had been to rehab “at least 15 times.”
The Colts announced in January 2024 that Irsay was being treated for a “severe respiratory illness.” That February, he posted on X that he was “on the mend.”
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, #18, left, and owner Jim Irsay are victorious after beating the New York Jets at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Jan. 24, 2010. (Al Tielemans /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)
“It’s a long road, and you have to be patient. The great news is everything is going well,” a hospitalized Irsay said that March after he underwent a procedure on his right leg.
Irsay said by that point he had undergone “26 surgeries over the last seven years.”
Over his tenure running the day-to-day operations of the organization, Irsay won 258 games, the fourth-most in the NFL in that span. He also won 10 division titles, went 1-1 in Super Bowls and made the playoffs 18 times.
He is survived by three daughters and 10 grandchildren. He and his ex-wife divorced in 2013.
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The Bruin Bombers. The Bash Brothers. The Splash Brothers.
Jordan Woolery and Megan Grant are open to any nicknames that reflect their standing as college softball’s most formidable hitting duo.
“Whatever anyone wants to call us,” Woolery said, “we don’t even care.”
Any credible nickname must recognize their staggering power. Bonus points are available for a reference to their native Bay Area. What’s not negotiable is the conveying of their connection, both as the best of friends and their proximity in UCLA’s batting order.
Woolery hits third, followed by Grant in the cleanup spot. It has been that way in every lineup card this season except for the three games in which Grant was either limited to pinch-hitting duties or sidelined because of a minor hamstring injury.
The payoff of pairing them together has been historic, a combination as proven as peanut butter and jelly or Simon and Garfunkel.
The junior sluggers have combined for more home runs (47) and runs batted in (161) than any other pair of hitters in the nation, vaulting the ninth-seeded Bruins (52-10) into the Columbia Super Regional to face eighth-seeded South Carolina (43-15). The best-of-three series starts at 10 a.m. PDT Friday in Columbia, S.C., the opener televised by ESPN2.
“The numbers that they’re putting up,” UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said of what might go down as the best hitting combo in school history, “are exciting and loud. These two are doing things that you just don’t see.”
Their spots in the order always start with the same ritual — a bat tap, accompanied by Woolery saying, “I got you.” Grant often returns the favor, especially when her teammate gets on base.
Early this season, after Arizona walked Woolery on four pitches, Grant smashed a three-run home run, providing the Wildcats extra reminders about why that was a bad idea.
“What I did was chest-bump Jordan about 50 times when we hit home plate together,” Grant said. “It was just the hypest moment, honestly.”
Woolery and Grant can often be found together in the dugout, on team planes or at Lamonica’s NY Pizza, their go-to stress relief spot in Westwood Village. They’re not roommates but might as well be; they invariably reside in one of their rooms long before the first pitch when Woolery braids Grant’s hair while watching “Catfish,” a favorite television show.
When a reporter inquired about their palpable bond, Grant cracked, “You can feel the aura?”
Both players immediately cracked up.
Separating the inseparable pair is a no-no. The last time it happened, amid a rare slump late last season, Inouye-Perez made the mistake of not putting them back to back in the batting order. They went a combined two for eight and made sure their coach knew about it the next day.
“It’s just the vibe was off, for sure,” Grant said, “so we had to talk to ‘Coach I’ about it.”
The Bruins’ Jordan Woolery has 22 home runs, 82 RBIs and a .423 batting average this season.
(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
Said Woolery: “Since then, we haven’t left each other’s side.”
Why would they?
Woolery and Grant’s RBI total is the highest by any duo in school history, surpassing the 158 RBIs that Stacey Nuveman and Julie Marshall tallied on the way to helping the Bruins win the 1999 NCAA championship.
When informed of the feat, after they had combined for 13 RBIs last weekend during the Bruins’ record-setting regional romp while outscoring three opponents by a combined 31-2, Grant placed her hand over her mouth in disbelief. Catcher Alexis Ramirez, seated next to Grant and Woolery in the interview room, patted Grant on the shoulder.
“Oh my God,” Ramirez said, offering another nickname, “Smash Brothers.”
Grant then threw an arm around Woolery in celebration, the teammates smiling widely.
“If Meg wasn’t awesome,” Woolery said, “I couldn’t be awesome, so just grateful to have her by my side.”
There’s symmetry in almost everything they do. Both players were finalists for USA Softball collegiate player of the year and have been first team all-conference selections in every season at UCLA.
Megan Grant (43), joining teammates in a celebratory “night night” gesture after hitting a home run Friday against UC Santa Barbara, has 25 home runs and 79 RBIs this season.
(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)
Grant’s 25 homers are tied with Ohio State’s Jasmyn Burns for the most in a single season by any Big Ten Conference player. If Grant hits another homer, she’ll break the conference record since Ohio State has been eliminated from the NCAA tournament.
Woolery, who has hit 22 homers, leads the team with 82 RBIs, and her .423 batting average trails only Savannah Pola’s .437. Collectively, the Bruins comprise one of the most fearsome lineups in the country, having piled up a team-record 28 mercy-rule wins.
Hitting coach Lisa Fernandez won’t rate Woolery or Grant over the other in terms of power.
“Oh, no,” Fernandez said with a laugh. “I mean, they’re both powerful. And I give them credit — as powerful as they are, they don’t just rely on that, you know what I mean? They understand when they need to go for theirs, they understand the process.
“I think they push each other, but they do it in a way that is also embracing each other’s gifts and successes, and I think that is a credit to them and the relationship that they have. We make a conscious effort to understand that one helps the other. The better Jo does, Megan has a chance to pick up RBIs and when Megan does great, Jordan, you’re going to see pitches, so you work together, they make each other great.”
Woolery and Grant have known each other since committing to UCLA when they were in the eighth grade. Even then, Fernandez said, she realized they “may be the best one-two combo in terms of power numbers that have played this game in terms of being back to back.”
Although Woolery dabbled in basketball growing up, Grant was once so smitten with the sport that she thought it was going to be her pathway to a Division I college scholarship. She even earned the nickname “Chef Megan” — a play on Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry’s nickname — before all of the hoopla about sticking with basketball ended when her travel-team coach told her that softball was her calling.
UCLA infielders Jordan Woolery (15) and Megan Grant (43) during a win over UC Santa Barbara. The two combined for 13 RBIs as the Bruins dominated their own regional tournament.
(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)
Grant’s toughness is rooted in playing baseball alongside two older brothers who spared no sympathy.
“Being the baby didn’t really mean anything to them, you know?” Grant said. “It was always hardcore — if you can’t catch, get out, that type of stuff.”
That sort of mentality comes in handy for both players while taking batting practice from Fernandez, widely regarded as the top pitcher in softball history.
“Having the greatest pitcher pitch to you after practice,” Woolery said, “that’s a dream, honestly.”
Although it would have been easy for one slugger to try to top the other, they immediately realized that pulling together would only amplify the possibilities.
“At the end of the day,” Woolery said, “our goal is to win a national championship, so we can’t do that if we’re competing against each other, you know?”
Grant likes to say that she has the best seat in the house, watching Woolery hit from the on-deck circle. Whenever one of the — insert nickname here — hits a home run, she always finds her beloved teammate in the dugout, leading to an embrace.
“It’s just like such a bliss moment,” Woolery said. “Just seeing Meg do her thing, it’s so special.”
Pressed about the nickname possibilities, both players finally acknowledge they do have a favorite.
Not surprisingly, it’s the same one, created by Vinny Lavalsiti, a member of the school’s athletics communications staff.
Said Grant: “Bruin Bombers.”
Said Woolery: “Yeah, Bruin Bombers.”
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Conor Daly will roll off pit road at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indianapolis 500 with the obvious goal in mind – win the race and cement himself in racing lore for the rest of time.
A victory will do more than just make him a part of Indy 500 history forever; he will become a folk hero for his native Indiana, which is itching to see a lengthy drought end.
Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Conor Daly, #76, high-fives crew members on Saturday, May 17, 2025 during qualifying for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
It has been 85 years since an Indiana-born race car driver won the illustrious race. Daly will be driving the No. 76 ampm-sponsored Chevrolet with Wilbur Shaw on his mind, almost literally. Shaw won three Indy 500 races, but no one from Indiana has won it since 1940.
He will be wearing a helmet that honors the legendary driver on Sunday.
“It’s crazy, 85 years since the last Indy 500 winner from Indiana. That just seems wrong. It just seems sad. So we’ve got to change that,” Daly, who was born in Noblesville, told Fox News Digital. “It was just a cool idea that I came up with my helmet painter.
“I try to come up with something unique every year for the Indy 500 helmet because it’s just a special event, and we put a couple old picture of his car from back in the day – 1940 was the last winner, which is crazy. Put the 1940 ticket on top of the helmet as well with a couple of little small details.”
Daly qualified 11th for the race and is set to start in between Scott McLaughlin and Alexander Rossi, who have both won the race in the past.
He touted how fast the car has been for him. His average speed during qualifying was around 231 mph.
Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Conor Daly, #76, sits on the wall on Monday, May 19, 2025 after practice for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on May 19, 2025. (Grace Hollars-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
INDYCAR DRIVER CONOR DALY GOES RACING WITH AMPM FOR THE INDY 500
“I feel really good,” he said. “This is one of the best cars I’ve had in my IndyCar career here, and I know that’s a bold statement to say, but it’s truly been a pleasure to drive all week. I’ve equaled my best starting position with 11th. We’re right alongside the pole-sitter from last year, Scott McLaughlin. We’re in the fight. … This car is just flat out fast and that’s really, really special.”
He called driving at such a high rate of speed “truly crazy.”
“I don’t know why you wouldn’t watch what we’re doing here because it truly is crazy,” he explained. “We’re at that level where cars are flying through the air, crashing at a high level, because we are putting these things on the absolute ragged edge of control and that’s what it takes to win the biggest race out there.
“It’s the biggest race that there is across motorsports. Some people like to argue that but physically, if you ask any racing drivers who have been around the sport for a long time, the Indy 500, that’s the big one. It’s crazy and what we’re doing out there is wild.”
Daly said winning the Indy 500 would be a realization of all the hard work he has put in throughout his entire career.
“It’s why I wake up every morning,” the Juncos Hollinger Racing driver told Fox News Digital.
Most importantly, he already has the milk picked out that he will chug should he be able to.
Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Conor Daly, #76, makes his way out of turn one on Monday, May 19, 2025 during practice for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. (Mykal McEldowney-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
“I’ve gone whole milk the last few years, but I haven’t won yet,” he said. “So, I decided to switch it up. We’re gonna go 2% because why not? Let’s pick something different and maybe that’ll get us the win.”
The Indy 500 will be broadcast May 25 on FOX with coverage starting at 10 a.m. ET. It will also be available to stream live on FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports app.
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