Warriors' Klay Thompson Helps Raise $500K for Charity By Auctioning Off 2 Boat Rides

Golden State Warriors star and noted boat aficionado Klay Thompson recently raised $500,000 for charity. 

Per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Thompson auctioned off a ride on his boat during the Warriors Charity Poker Tournament that benefits the Warriors Community Foundation. 

Haynes noted bidding between two donors eventually reached $250,000 before a winner was decided, but Thompson agreed to host a second boat ride if the second bidder matched that donation. 

As part of the prize, the winning bidders got to take a ride with Thompson on his boat around the Bay, a dinner a Miller & Lux and floor seats with Warriors governors Joe and Nicole Lacob. 

In an October 2021 piece by Scott Cacciola of the New York Times, Thompson explained he was using his Axopar 37 Cabin fishing boat to commute to Chase Center for Warriors games. 

"It’s been so good for my mental health," he said. "When the days would get really tough, I would take a cruise into the city or toward Oakland or just be out in nature. It always helps."

According to Cacciola, Thompson really took to boats after tearing his ACL during the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. 

Thompson's Instagram features many pictures of himself doing activities on his boat, including playing chess and fishing. 

According to Haynes, the charity event wound up raising a total of $2.5 million that will be used for grant programs for education and youth development organizations in Alameda and San Francisco counties.