Klay Thompson made his return from a 31-month injury absence to help the Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 96-82.
Thompson, 31, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in 2019 and then tore his right Achilles tendon while recovering.
In front of a raucous Chase Center crowd in San Francisco, the three-time NBA champion scored 17 points.
“I’m never going to forget this night,” Thompson told NBA TV.
Thompson scored the opening basket of the game for the Warriors and made seven of his 18 shots, including three three-pointers.
In his career, he surpassed 12,000 points and 1,800 three-pointers.
Warriors star Stephen Curry scored 28 points to help his team avenge two straight losses.
With 30 victories and nine losses, they are currently tied for the best record in the NBA with Western Conference rivals the Phoenix Suns.
Thompson last appeared in the NBA Finals in June 2019, when he tore his ACL against the eventual champion Toronto Raptors in game six.
He subsequently tore his Achilles tendon in training in November 2020, missing the entire previous season and the early half of this one.
Thompson’s team-mates all warmed up in various versions of his number 11 jersey to celebrate his return, before his arrival on court was greeted by a huge roar from the home fans.
“I got a lot of old feelings again about game days – it was surreal,” he said.
“The ovation to start the game, I just am so grateful for these fans. It was special.”