Klay Thompson’s beloved dog Rocco passes away at 13

Rocco, the beloved dog of former Golden State Warriors star and Bay Area legend Klay Thompson, has passed away after 13 years of life. Mychal Thompson announced the passing of one of Thompson’s closest companions on the ESPN-LA’s Mason & Ireland show.

“As Mase and Ireland always say, when someone dear has departed, ‘Hail fellow, well met.’ We had to put Rocco, Klay’s dog, down over the weekend,” Thompson shared with the rest of the radio hosts. Thompson went on to say that “it was time.”

“We were all sad, but Rocco had a great long life,” the elder Thompson said.

Rocco, an English bulldog, was a beloved companion of Klay Thompson. His life coincided with Thompson’s and the Warriors’ meteoric rise to the top of the NBA during the early years of the dynasty. In 2014, SF Chronicle reporter Rusty Simmons detailed one of the more memorable illustrations of the duo’s one-of-a-kind bond in a profile piece on Thompson and Rocco.

During the final signing meeting of Thompson’s nearly $70 million rookie extension, he asked then-general manager Bob Myers how long the proceedings would take.

“We were trying to get the contract signed, and all he wanted to do was go home to his dog,” Myers told Simmons. It’s a story Myers has been open about to the public for a while.

In that same article, Thompson described Rocco as his “son.” In 2011, Thompson adopted Rocco when he was eight weeks old, around the time he was selected by the Warriors 11th overall in the NBA Draft. As Thompson’s popularity and play flourished, so did Rocco as a viral sensation.

He became the de facto dog of Dub Nation, with fans and reporters checking in with Klay Thompson for Rocco updates. Thompson would often share photos of the two of them on an Instagram account dedicated to Rocco. Most of those posts showed Rocco enjoying his time on Thompson’s boat as the two sailed through the San Francisco Bay.

Though Thompson’s no longer in the Bay Area, Warriors fans mourn the loss of Rocco. He and Thompson will forever remain a part of Dub Nation.