Tristan Thompson Biography
Tristan Thompson, the dynamic Canadian-American professional basketball player, stands tall at 6 feet 9 inches. Hailing from a suburb of Toronto, Canada, Tristan has excelled as both a center and a power forward. Since December 2012, he has been a key player for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, contributing to the team's victory in the NBA championship.
Beyond the court, Tristan's life took a public turn when he began dating reality star Khloe Kardashian in September 2016. From there, the public was involved in nearly every drama-fueled moment of his life. Below, however, we are going to discuss his childhood, rise to fame, and NBA career—along with a few of those dramatic moments!
The Early Life And Education Of Tristan Thompson
Tristan Thompson was born on March 13th, 1991, in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, to Trevor and Andrea Thompson. In his hometown, he began his early work as a paperboy before making a significant move to Newark, New Jersey.
There, he enrolled at St. Benedict's Preparatory School during his sophomore year in 2009. However, his time with the school's basketball team was cut short due to insubordination, leading to his departure.
Thompson's journey took a positive turn when he transferred to Finley Prep in Henderson, Nevada, for his senior year of high school. While there, he showcased his talent on the court and played a pivotal role in leading the school to its first national championship.
His outstanding performance earned him recognition as a 2010 McDonald's All-American and a Jordan Brand Classic All-American.
Following his impressive high school career, Thompson committed to playing college basketball at the University of Texas. During his freshman year with the Longhorns, from 2010 to 2011, he emerged as a key player, earning the title of Most Valuable Player for the team.
Thompson demonstrated his skills by leading the team in rebounds and blocks while ranking second in scoring. His exceptional skills on the court caught the attention of basketball enthusiasts, leading to his nomination as one of the five national finalists for the US Basketball Writers Association's Wayman Tisdale Award. Additionally, he ranked 24th in the nation for blocks per game, solidifying his reputation as a rising basketball star.
Tristan Thomspson's NBA Career
After a promising start at the University of Texas, Tristan Thompson decided to enter the NBA draft in June 2011, leaving after his freshman year. The Cleveland Cavaliers picked him in the fourth round, and he made his NBA debut in December of that year.
By the end of his first season, Thompson's outstanding performance earned him a spot on the 2012 NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
In 2015, Thompson became a starter for the Cavaliers, contributing significantly to the team's journey to the 2015 NBA Finals. Although they faced a defeat against the Golden State Warriors, it marked a turning point in Thompson's career.
By the end of the 2014–2015 season, he had become a restricted free agent but decided to re-sign with the Cavaliers, securing a 5-year, $82 million contract after four months of negotiations.
The 2015–2016 season proved monumental as Thompson and the Cavaliers clinched the NBA championship, marking the team's first win in 52 years. Notably, Thompson made history by becoming the first player in Cavaliers history to play in 400 consecutive regular-season games in December 2016.
More recently in his career, however, Tristan Thompson faced a setback when the NBA announced a 25-game suspension without pay for violating the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.
(To clarify, he WAS NOT kicked out of the NBA, as the title of the attached article states.)
The league revealed that Thompson tested positive for both Ibutamoren and SARM LGD-4033.
Ibutamoren, deemed a prohibited substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), is known to stimulate the production of growth hormone, as per WADA's regulations.
Similarly, LGD-4033 (ligandrol), classified as a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) by the National Institute of Health (NIH), is also prohibited in sports by WADA. Notably, former NBA center Joakim Noah faced a 20-game suspension in 2017 for using LGD-4033, highlighting the serious consequences of such violations in professional sports.
What's Tristan Thompson's Net Worth?
Tristan Thompson has a net worth of $70 million, according to Sportskeeda, and it tracks.
| Year | Team | Contract Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 2011-2014 | 4-year contract with Cleveland Cavaliers | $16,821.270 |
| 2015-2019 | 5-year contract with Cleveland Cavaliers | $82,000,000 |
| 2020-2021 | 2-year contract with the Boston Celtics | $18,978,900 |
| 2021-2021 | 1-year contract with the Sacramento Kings | $6,312,998 |
| 2021-2022 | 1-year contract with the Chicago Bulls | $1,000,000 |
| 2023-2024 | 1-year contract with Cleveland Cavaliers | $3,196,448 |
Source: Spotrac
While Tristan Thompson initially gained recognition as an NBA star, his prominence soared to new heights following his appearance on the reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians as Khloé Kardashian’s love interest in 2017. This exposure pushed him into the spotlight, leading to lucrative endorsement deals with major brands such as Beats by Dre, Compex, Moët & Chandon, Mountain Dew, Nike, and Tim Hortons.
Apart from his NBA salary, endorsement contracts, and real estate investments, Tristan has also raked in substantial earnings from his social media presence. With millions of followers on Instagram, he has reportedly earned between $6,000 and $10,000 per post.
As far as child support payments go, Maralee Nichols has been vocal about what she wants; however, she failed to take into account that his older children come first, and it dwindles down from there. Regardless, Thompson pays $1.9 million a year in child support, and that does not include his fourth child.
Tristan Thompson's Relationship Controversy
Tristan Thompson has a long history of treating Khloe Kardashian poorly. Here is a brief timeline of what has gone down:
Tristan Thompson dated Jordan Craig from 2014 to 2016. After their breakup, Craig discovered she was pregnant and gave birth to their son, Prince, in December 2016. In September 2016, Thompson began dating Khloé Kardashian.
They announced Kardashian's pregnancy in December 2017. Just before Kardashian gave birth to their daughter, Thompson was unfaithful. Despite reconciling after their daughter's birth in April 2018, they split in 2019 due to Thompson's infidelity with Jordyn Woods.
During the pandemic, Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson briefly reunited while co-parenting. However, they split again in June 2021.
Maralee Nichols filed a lawsuit against Thompson, claiming he fathered her child. Theo was born in December 2021. And finally, Khloé Kardashian announced they were expecting their second child via surrogate in July 2022, but they're not together. They welcomed their son, Tatum, in August 2022.
