Outside of winning championships and becoming one of the greatest 3-point shooters of all time, Klay Thompson was often happiest on the Warriors when he was on the water — driving his sport fishing boat across the bay to practice or games.

Thompson, who became an icon in the Bay Area after winning four championships in eight years, left this summer for uncharted waters in Dallas as a free agent. Injuries, the mental aspect of reckoning with his basketball mortality, and the weight of dealing with a lesser role drove him to seek a fresh start elsewhere.

Thompson remains one of the Bay Area’s favorite sons. And he’s returning Tuesday to one of the most creative welcomings in NBA history.

The Warriors are tailoring the night toward Thompson’s aquatic adventures by handing out a captain’s hat to every fan in attendance, playing a special pregame tribute video and clearing out for Steph Curry to say a few words. Employees also plan on greeting Thompson by saluting their caps to him when he arrives at Chase Center.

“This might be the most emotional, impactful homecoming that will ever happen,” Warriors president and chief operating officer Brandon Schneider said. “Not just for the Warriors, but for anybody, given the history that he’s had. We spent quite a bit of time thinking about the proper way to honor Klay Thompson.”

The team is encouraging fans to arrive early at Chase Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. for the NBA Cup in-season tournament game, right after a special pregame salute.

Thompson spent the first 13 years of his career with the Warriors. The fan base fell in love with his eclectic personality and fierce competitiveness. He reached the highest of mountaintops and back-to-back catastrophic injuries sunk him to the lowest of nadirs — only for him to pull himself up, lead the league in 3-pointers and help Golden State to a fourth title.

As a Warrior, Thompson set the single-game 3-point record. He scored an iconic 37-point quarter. He saved the Warriors with 11 3s in Game 6 of the 2016 conference final. He dropped 60 points in 29 minutes.

The five-time All-Star ranks sixth in NBA history in made 3-pointers and has played the most playoff games and minutes in Warriors franchise history.

Next to Curry, Thompson helped form the greatest shooting backcourt the sport has seen as the Splash Bros. In the team’s press release announcing the “Salute Captain Klay” night, they attached a video of Curry tipping his boating captain’s hat into a camera.

Knowing how much Thompson meant to the organization, the Warriors’ marketing and public relations teams began brainstorming ideas shortly after Thompson departed in July. After batting around several ideas, vice president of marketing and operations Kimberly Trinidad pitched the captain’s hats and they ran with it.

“It’s just so authentic, right?” Schneider said. “When people see the hat, they’re going to know immediately. Everyone knows his thing. This wasn’t a gimmicky thing for him ... he loves the water so much.”

The Warriors got approval from the league to slightly extend pregame proceedings. They’re planning on announcing the first four Mavericks in pregame introductions then playing their minute-long tribute video for Thompson, giving fans the opportunity to salute him. Then they’ll announce Thompson and his splash brother will take the microphone at center court to say a few words.

“He’s earned this recognition,” Schneider said. “It’s going to be an emotional night for him, I’m sure. For our team ... Klay has been a part of our organization for 13 years, it’s going to be an emotional night for all of us. And then, of course, the fans. Giving the fans the opportunity to be a part of thanking Klay and acknowledging him in a way that’s so deserved. And then we’ve got a basketball game.”