In front of the NFL community, Klay Thompson made a name for himself as an idol and best buddy. In honor of his late friend TE Gavin Escobar, the Golden State Warriors shooting guard presented himself with a golden heart.
Escobar and Thompson are natives of Rancho Santa Margarita, California. These two professional athletes also entered the same school, Santa Margarita Catholic High School. Hailing from the same neighborhood, the high schoolers went on to pursue careers in National Football League. Escobar, in particular, had an extensive NFL career spanning across six different teams before he ultimately chose to retire from football and join the Long Beach Fire department.
Falling of a shining star “Gavin Escobar”
Gavin, 31, and Chelsea Walsh, 33, were identified on Thursday at roughly 12:20 p.m. by the Riverside County sheriff’s coroner’s office, according to ESPN. At the Tahquitz Peak Fire lookout at Humber Park in the San Bernardino County Forest, they were discovered dead while attempting to scale a rock wall.
The climbers were said to have died on the spot while scaling a “rock face”, as the authorities were unsure if earlier that day’s light rain that had fallen in the location had caused any problems.
The NFL tight end spent three seasons with the Cowboys after being selected in the second round in 2013. The ex-cowboys also played for the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, and Kansas City Chiefs. With the Alliance of American Football. The former “89” shirt holder finished his football career in 2018, with 30 catches for 333 yards and eight touchdowns.
Forever in our hearts. đź’™ pic.twitter.com/Pgp7vZ1ebB
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 30, 2022
Since February, Escobar had ended up working as a firefighter in Long Beach, California, after his career. He was only 31 years old when he passed away, leaving a wife and two children in his wake. The fire department shared a memorial for this tragic death.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the off-duty death of Long Beach Firefighter Gavin Escobar. Hired on February 5, 2022, Firefighter Escobar was assigned to Fire Station 3 on B-shift. Firefighter Escobar leaves behind his wife and two young children.”
A stunning tribute of Klay Thompson to the NFL tight end
The Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks played a night game on Wednesday. For that Dallas game, the warrior Thompson wore the number 89 in memory of his friend the ex-cowboy to pay respect to Gavin’s untimely passing.
Klay arrived at tonight's game in Dallas repping the number 89 in honor of his friend Gavin Escobar.
Gavin played four seasons as Tight End for the Cowboys during his NFL career. A native of Klay's hometown of Rancho Santa Margarita, he tragically passed away last fall. pic.twitter.com/zWtvcOlsyE
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 22, 2023
The Warriors had a favorable game, with the 33-year-old player scoring nine points. Ultimately, they won against the Mavericks 127-125 with a two-point lead.
