Tristan Trevor James Thompson (born March 13, 1991) is a Canadian

professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball

Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Texas Longhorns before
being drafted fourth overall by the Cavaliers in the 2011 NBA draft.[1] He has also played for
the Canadian national team. Thompson won an NBA championship with the Cavaliers in 2016.

Contents

 1High school career

 2College career

 3Professional career

o 3.1NBA draft

o 3.2Cleveland Cavaliers (2011–present)

 3.2.12011–12 season: Rookie season

 3.2.22012–13 season

 3.2.32013–14 season

 3.2.42014–15 season

 3.2.52015–16 season: Championship season

 3.2.62016–17 season

 3.2.72017–18 season

 3.2.82018–19 season

 3.2.92019–20 season

 4Career statistics

o 4.1NBA

 4.1.1Regular season

 4.1.2Playoffs

o 4.2College

 5International career
 6Awards

 7Personal life

 8See also

 9Notes

 10References

 11External links

High school career

Born in Brampton, Thompson attended St. Marguerite d'Youville Secondary School in Brampton for
his freshman year. After driving from Brampton twice to visit a prep school in the United States,
Thompson 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. He cited the
increase in exposure and skill level as his reason for transferring.[2]
Thompson spent his sophomore and half his junior year at St. Benedict's, making an immediate
impact and showing flashes of brilliance.[3] In his short time there, he shot through the ranks to super-
stardom, becoming the top recruit in the nation entering his junior season.[4] The nation's top
basketball programs heavily sought Thompson, who made the first verbal commitment of the class
of 2010 to Rick Barnes and the Texas Longhorns.[5]
Twenty-one games into his junior year, the relationship between Thompson and then-St. Benedict's
coach Dan Hurley hit a rough patch. Hurley's in-your-face, no-holds-barred coaching style took a toll
on the young star. During a game against then-top-ranked Mater Dei, Hurley confronted Thompson
during a time out. A heated debate ensued, and Thompson was sent off the court and later removed
from the team.[6] Over the next few days he made it known that he was planning to leave, resulting in
a barrage of calls from top prep schools throughout North America trying to acquire his services. The
next week he transferred to Findlay Prep with his close friend and AAU teammate Cory Joseph.[7][8]
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. Thompson
solidified his top recruit status and helped lead Findlay to their first National Championship. He
continued to round and polish his skills his senior year in preparation for college and held fast to his
commitment to the University of Texas, officially signing his letter of intent on November 11, 2009.
[9]
 Thompson then led his team to another National Championship at the ESPN National High School
Invitational.[10] 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, after Bill
Wennington (1981), Barry Bekkedam (1986) and Olu Famutimi (2003).[11] Thompson was also named
a Jordan Brand Classic All-American.[12]

College career
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. 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. Thompson won the Big 12
Freshman of the Year honours as well as first-team NABC All-District 8 and USBWA All-District VII
honours.[13] He led the team in rebounding, blocked shots (86), double-doubles (10) and field goal
percentage (.546) while ranking second in scoring. 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.[14]
Thompson told media after the NCAA tournament that he planned to return to Texas for his
sophomore season but changed his mind.[15] On April 21, 2011, he declared for the NBA draft,
forgoing his three years of college eligibility.[16]

Professional career
NBA draft
On June 23, 2011, Thompson was drafted fourth overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Cleveland
Cavaliers. At the time, he was the highest drafted Canadian-born player in NBA history,[17] that was
until Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins were selected with the first overall pick
in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Thompson continued to make history, drafted alongside Joseph,
who was picked 29th by the San Antonio Spurs, one of only two occasions in NBA history that two
Canadians were selected in the first round of the same draft, the other being in 1983 when Leo
Rautins and Stewart Granger were selected 17th and 25th respectively.[18] The 2011 draft was also
the first time three Texas Longhorn basketball players went in the first round of a draft, when
Thompson's former collegiate teammate Jordan Hamilton went 26th overall to the Dallas Mavericks.
[19][20]

Cleveland Cavaliers (2011–present)

2011–12 season: Rookie season

Thompson during his rookie season in 2012

During the 2011 NBA lockout, Thompson attended classes at the University of Texas to finish his
college degree.[21] Thompson signed his rookie contract with the Cavaliers on December 9, 2011
before the start of training camp.[22] Thompson made his professional debut against his
hometown Toronto Raptors on December 26, 2011. In 17 minutes off the bench, Thompson scored
12 points and pulled in 5 rebounds.[23] Thompson came off the bench behind veteran
forwards Antawn Jamison and Anderson Varejão for the first three months of his rookie season but
still managed to make his presence known on both ends of the court. His production increased in
February as his minutes increased, and he recorded three double-doubles that month. His best
performance in February was a 15-point, 12-rebound, two-block effort in 30 minutes of play as the
Cavaliers defeated Sacramento 93–92. Both Thompson and teammate Kyrie Irving were later
named to the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge. However, Thompson was selected to play for
Team Shaq, while Irving was selected by Team Chuck.
Thompson was inserted into the starting lineup on March 18 against Atlanta as Varejao continued to
recover from a fractured wrist. He recorded seven points and six rebounds. The turning point of his
season came in the following game against New Jersey, when he posted a 27-point, 12-rebound
performance in a 105–100 road win. After Varejao was ruled out indefinitely, head coach Byron
Scott decided to start Thompson at centre for the remainder of the regular season.[24] Thompson did
not disappoint, upping his averages to 9.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and just under one block per game
as a starter. He shone in April even with Cleveland out of the playoff race, scoring in double figures
in 10 of his final 16 games and blocking a season-high four shots against Memphis on April 23. He
finished the season with averages of 8.2 points and 6.5 rebounds in 60 games as he earned NBA
All-Rookie second team honours, becoming the first Canadian to ever earn All-Rookie team honours
in the NBA.
2012–13 season
In the 2012–13 season, Thompson worked on avoiding getting his own shots blocked, and switched
his shooting hand