What Is Tristan Thompson's Net Worth and Salary?
Tristan Thompson is a Canadian professional basketball player who has a net worth of $45 million. Tristan Thompson is known for winning the 2016 NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers and has also played for the Celtics, Kings, Pacers, Bulls, and Lakers. He has competed internationally for Canada and won a Bronze medal at the 2008 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship.
In his first 10 years in the NBA, Tristan earned around $110 million in salary alone.
Early Life and Career
Tristan Thompson was born on March 13, 1991, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is the oldest of four sons of Trevor and Andrea Thompson, who hail from Jamaica. Tristan played high school basketball at Saint Benedict's Preparatory School for his freshman and sophomore years. Twenty-one games into his junior year, the relationship between Tristan and then-St. Benedict coach Dan Hurley hit a rough patch. Hurley's abrasive coaching style began taking a toll on the young basketball player. During a game against top-ranked Mater Hei, Hurley confronted Thompson during a time-out, after which a heated argument ensued, and Tristan was sent off the court. He was later removed from the team, but over the next few days, he was vocal about the fact that he had been planning to leave, resulting in a barrage of calls from top prep schools all throughout the country trying to acquire the skills of the young star. He transferred to Findlay Prep the next week. Thompson made an immediate impact on the team, and he thrived under Findlay coach Michael Peck's system and coaching style.
After his senior year, Thompson was a McDonald's All-American and became the 4th and 5th to do so with teammate Cory Joseph. Tristan was also named a Jordan Brand Classic All-American. Thompson played for The University of Texas, where he won the Wayman Tisdale Award for USBWA National Freshman of the Year and was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team, Big 12 All-Defensive Team, and Big 12 All-Rookie Team. He played just one season for Texas. He had told the media after the NCAA tournament that he had planned to return to college ball for his sophomore year, but he had changed his mind. On April 21, 2011, he declared for the NBA draft.
Professional Career
Thompson was drafted #4 by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2011 NBA Draft. At the time, he was the highest-drafted Canadian-born player in NBA history (until Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins were selected the first picks overall in 2013 and 2014.) During the 2011 NBA lockout, Thompson went to classes at the University of Texas in order to finish his college degree. He signed his rookie contract with the Cavaliers on December 9, 2011, just before the start of training camp. Thompson made his professional debut against his hometown Toronto Raptors in December 2011. Just seventeen minutes off the bench, he scored 12 points and pulled in five rebounds. Tristan finished the season with averages of 8.2 points and 6.5 rebounds in 60 games and he earned NBA All-Rookie second-team honors, becoming the first Canadian to ever earn All-Rookie team honors in the NBA.
In the 2013 off-season, he decided to switch his shooting hand to the right instead of the left. Despite the change, he started all 82 games and tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference with a team-leading and career-best of 36 double-doubles. During the 2014 season, the Cavaliers acquired LeBron James. Thompson came off the bench for most of the season, solidifying his place as one of the best offensive rebounders in the league. Thompson and the Cavaliers reached the NBA Finals for the first time that season.
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Tristan re-signed with the Cavaliers in 2015 for a five-year, $82 million contract, ending a four-month contract stalemate that forced him to miss training camp, the preseason, and the FIBA Americas Championship. That year, Thompson helped the Cavaliers reach the NBA Finals for the second time. They made NBA history by coming back from a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors to win the series in seven games, ending a 52-year championship drought for the team.
In December 2016, Thompson became the first player in franchise history to play in 400 consecutive regular-season games before missing four games with a sprained right thumb. They reached the NBA finals for a third straight season. The Cavaliers once again matched up with the Golden State Warriors but lost the series in five games. In his 2017-2018 season, Thompson was out for four weeks with a left calf strain. The Cavaliers made it to the 2018 NBA Final once again, where they were (once again) swept by the Golden State Warriors. In 2019, Thompson missed 26 games due to a sore left foot.
In January 2020, during a match with the Detroit Pistons, Thompson recorded a double-double with a career-high 35 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and a steal in a 115-112 overtime win. On November 30, 2020, Thompson signed with the Boston Celtics.
In August 2021, Thompson was traded to the Sacramento Kings in a three-team trade involving the Atlanta Hawks. In February 2022, he was traded along with Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield to the Indiana Pacers for Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, Domantas Sabonis, and a 2023 second-round pick. After just four games, the Pacers and Thompson reached a mutual contract buyout agreement. Tristan signed with the Chicago Bulls on February 19th. In April 2023, Thompson reunited on the court with LeBron James when he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Contracts & Career Earnings
In 2015, Thompson signed a five-year, $82 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2020, he signed a two-year, $18.9 million contract with the Boston Celtics. His one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers was worth just $16,700.
Over his 12-year career to date, Tristan Thompson has earned more than $116.1 million in salary alone.
Personal Life
Tristan acquired American citizenship in 2020.
Thompson and his ex-girlfriend Jordan Craig had a child in December 2016, a son named Prince Oliver Thompson. He was ordered to pay $40,000 per month in child support and a $200,000 lump sum in back payments. He was also ordered to put away $1,250 per month in a savings account for Prince, which totals $15,000 per year. This was all a result of Craig filing the case in September 2018, citing that the NBA superstar had only seen their son nine times from 2016 to 2018. Tristan also covers $2,000 per month for Prince's private tutor. In the settlement, Tristan also agreed to pay Jordan $10,000 to cover medical bills that stemmed from her pregnancy and delivery.
He has also been romantically linked to Khloe Kardashian. In April 2018, Kardashian gave birth to their daughter, True Thompson. In February 2019, Khloe announced their sudden separation after allegedly catching Tristan cheating with a much younger woman named Jordyn Woods. Jordyn also happens to be one of Kylie Jenner's best friends and even lived at Kylie's mansion at the time the affair was discovered. Tristan and Khloe resumed their relationship after quarantining together during the COVID-10 pandemic, but in June 2021, they announced that they had called it quits again.
In June 2021, a woman filed a paternity lawsuit against Thompson as a result of an affair he had while with Khloe Kardashian. Thompson later confirmed he was the father of the woman's son and apologized to Khloe. In July 2022, Thompson and Kardashian announced they were expecting their second child together via surrogacy. Their son was born on July 28, 2022.
