Tristan Thompson is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for Texas before being drafted fourth overall by the Cavaliers in the 2011 NBA draft.
Find out more amazing facts about him, here!
1. Tristan Trevor James Thompson was born March 13, 1991 in Toronto.
2. Thompson is the eldest of four sons of Trevor and Andrea Thompson, who are from Jamaica.
3. His younger brother, Dishawn, played high school basketball for Wesley Christian High School in Allen, Kentucky, where he was a highly rated prospect.
4. Thompson attended St. Marguerite d’Youville Secondary School in nearby Brampton.
5. After driving from Brampton twice to visit a prep school in the United States, he decided to attend Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey for his sophomore year along with fellow University of Texas at Austin commit Myck Kabongo.
6. He cited the increase in exposure and skill level as his reason for transferring schools.
7. Thompson spent his sophomore and half his junior year at St. Benedict’s, making an immediate impact and showing flashes of brilliance throughout the way.
8. In his short time at St. Benedict’s, he shot through the ranks to super-stardom, becoming the top recruit in the nation entering his junior season.
9. The top basketball programs in the nation heavily sought Thompson, who made the first verbal commitment of the class of 2010 to Rick Barnes and the Texas Longhorns.
10. Twenty-one games into his junior year, the relationship between Thompson and then-St. Benedict’s coach Dan Hurley hit a rough patch.
11. Hurley’s in-your-face, no-holds-barred coaching style took a toll on the young star.
12. During a game against then-top-ranked Mater Dei, Hurley confronted Thompson during a time out.
13. A heated debate ensued, and Thompson was sent off the court and later removed from the team.
14. Over the next few days he made it known that he was planning to leave, resulting in a barrage of calls from the top prep schools throughout North America, all trying to acquire the top recruit’s services.
15. The next week he transferred to Findlay Prep with his close friend and AAU teammate Cory Joseph.
16. Thompson joined Findlay on the back end of their schedule, making an immediate impact on the team and thriving under Findlay coach Michael Peck’s system and coaching style.
17. Thompson solidified his top recruit status and helped lead Findlay to their first National Championship.
18. He continued to round and polish his skills his senior year in preparation for college and continued to hold fast to his commitment to the University of Texas, officially signing his letter of intent on November 11, 2009.
19. Thompson then led his team to another National Championship at the ESPN National High School Invitational.
20. After their senior year, Thompson and Joseph both committed to Texas and were the fourth and fifth Canadians to be named McDonald’s All-Americans following Bill Wennington (1981), Barry Bekkedam (1986) and Olu Famutimi (2003).
21. Thompson also was named a Jordan Brand Classic All-American.
22. Thompson averaged 13.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for the Texas Longhorns in 2010–11 as he won the team’s Most Valuable Player award, as voted on by his teammates.
23. Nationally, Thompson was one of five finalists for the Wayman Tisdale Award, an honor given to the National Freshman of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
24. Thompson won the Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors as well as first-team NABC All-District 8 and USBWA All-District VII honors.
15. He led the team in rebounding, blocked shots (86), double-doubles (10) and field goal percentage (.546) while ranking second in scoring.
26. He helped Texas conclude the 2010–11 season with a 28–8 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. The Longhorns finished No. 8 in the final AP poll.
27. Thompson told media after the NCAA tournament that he planned to return to Texas for his sophomore season but changed his mind.
28. On April 21, 2011, he declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his three years of college eligibility.
29. During the 2011 NBA lockout, Thompson attended classes at the University of Texas to finish his college degree.
30. Thompson signed his rookie contract with the Cavaliers on December 9, 2011 before the start of training camp.
31. Thompson made his professional debut against his hometown Toronto Raptors on December 26, 2011.
32. During the 2014 off-season, the Cavaliers acquired All-Star forwards LeBron James and Kevin Love.
33. Thompson came off the bench for most of the season, providing energy and solidifying his place as one of the best offensive rebounders in the league, averaging 8.5 points and 8 rebounds per game.
34. On October 22, 2015, Thompson re-signed with the Cavaliers on a five-year, $82 million contract, ending a four-month contract stalemate that caused Thompson to miss training camp, the preseason, and the FIBA Americas Championship.
35. On January 25, 2016, he recorded a season-high 19 points and 12 rebounds in a 114–107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
36. On March 26, in a win over the New York Knicks, Thompson tied Jim Chones’ franchise record by appearing in his 361st consecutive game for the Cavaliers. He broke that record three days later, appearing in his 362nd consecutive game in a loss to the Houston Rockets.
37. Thompson won an NBA championship with the Cavaliers in 2016.
38. He also represents Canada in international competition.
39. He is also the cousin of former Virginia State University football standout, and former Canadian Football League defensive tackle, Jemal Thompson.
40. In 2012, Thompson partnered with BioSteel Sports Supplements.
41. In 2016, he started dating Khloe Kardashian.
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