Klay Thompson Rolled Up in a Giant SUV and Saved Blake Anderson’s Night at the Warriors’ 2017 Afterparty

Blake Anderson, best known for his work on Workaholics, has a Klay Thompson story that still sounds unreal nearly a decade later. Anderson and his brother went to the 2017 NBA Finals clincher in Oakland, and like any good fans, they figured they’d try to get into the team’s official afterparty. But Anderson’s brother didn’t have a pass, and that’s where most good nights end. Unless Klay Thompson rolls up in a black SUV.

Anderson told actor Ike Barinholtz about the night, and the clip made its way around the internet. The way Anderson tells it, he and his brother were about to give up and order an Uber when they heard someone shouting. “Blake! Blake!” They turned around, and hanging out of a giant black SUV window was Klay Thompson. Klay waved them over and told them to get in. They did. That’s the kind of moment that makes you a Warriors fan for life.

Anderson even got to touch Thompson’s championship hat, which was still wet with champagne. That’s a detail that says everything about the timing. They weren’t just guests at the party. They were riding with one of the guys who just won it all.

That 2017 Warriors team was a monster. After losing a 3-1 lead to LeBron James and the Cavaliers the year before, Golden State added Kevin Durant and steamrolled their way through the playoffs. They beat Cleveland in five games in the Finals, and Durant took home Finals MVP. The following year they swept the Cavs. Thompson was right in the middle of it all, forming the Splash Brothers with Stephen Curry and basically ruining three-point shooting records for everyone else.

Thompson’s time with the Warriors ended in 2024. He’s not the same guy who used to drop 60 points in 29 minutes, and his numbers dipped hard last season—11.7 points per game, starting just 8 of 69 games. But for one night in 2017, he was the hero for two brothers who just needed a ride to a party.

Anderson’s story is a reminder that sometimes the best NBA stories don’t happen on the court. They happen when a star player sees a couple of fans from a car window and decides to make their night. That’s the kind of move that turns a championship run into a lasting memory. And it’s the kind of story that keeps Klay Thompson beloved in the Bay Area, even after he left.