Ausar Thompson

Ausar XLNC Thompson (/əˈsɑːr ˈɛksələns ˈtɒmsən/ ə-SAR EK-sə-lənss TOM-sən; born January 30, 2003)[1] is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played basketball for Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was rated a five-star recruit and won a state title. Thompson bypassed his senior year of high school to sign with development league Overtime Elite (OTE), where he played for two seasons. He won two straight OTE titles, earning Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice, and was named league MVP in 2023. He is the twin brother of basketball player Amen Thompson. He was selected fifth overall by the Pistons in 2023 NBA draft.

Ausar Thompson
No. 9 – Detroit Pistons
PositionShooting guard / small forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2003-01-30) January 30, 2003
Oakland, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High schoolPine Crest
(Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
NBA draft2023: 1st round, 5th overall pick
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2022Team Elite
2022–2023City Reapers
2023–presentDetroit Pistons
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× OTE champion (2022, 2023)
  • 2× OTE Finals MVP (2022, 2023)
  • OTE Most Valuable Player (2023)
  • All-OTE First Team (2023)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life

Thompson was born to Maya Wilson and Troy Thompson and raised in San Leandro, California.[2][3] His identical twin brother, Amen, was born one minute before him; they share the middle name "XLNC" (pronounced excellence) which was bestowed on them to convey a sense of power.[4] His older brother, Troy Jr., played college basketball for Prairie View A&M. His uncle, Mark Thompson, represented Jamaica in 400 meter hurdles at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He and Amen began training for basketball under the guidance of their father by age seven and drew inspiration from LeBron James.[2] The twins were homeschooled in sixth and seventh grades to focus on basketball.[3]

High school career

Entering eighth grade, Thompson and his family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida so that he and Amen could play high school basketball one year early at Pine Crest School.[2][5] The twins immediately started for the team.[6] As a sophomore, Thompson averaged 17.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, earning second-team All-County honors. Entering his junior season, he was named to the Broward County Fab Five by the Sun Sentinel.[7] Thompson averaged 22.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, helping his team win the Class 4A state championship. He shared Broward County Class 5A-1A co-player of the year with Amen.[8]

Recruiting

Thompson was rated a five-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals.[9][10] He gained interest from college programs in 2019, receiving a scholarship offer from Alabama.[11] Following his junior year, Thompson held offers from Alabama, Arizona, Auburn, Arizona State and Kansas, among other programs, before deciding to not play college basketball.[12]

Professional career

Team Elite (2021–2022)

On May 25, 2021, Thompson signed a two-year contract with Overtime Elite (OTE), a new professional league based in Atlanta with players between ages 16 and 20. He joined the league with his brother Amen, bypassing his final year of high school and college.[2][13][14] In the 2021–22 season, Thompson played for Team Elite, one of three teams in the league, and averaged 14.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 blocks per game.[15][16] He competed against other OTE teams, as well as prep school and postgraduate opponents.[17] He led his team to the league championship and was named Finals MVP after recording 20 points and 11 rebounds in a 52–45 win over Team OTE in the decisive third game of the finals.[18] Thompson played for OTE affiliate Team Overtime in The Basketball Tournament in July 2022.[2] His team lost to Omaha Blue Crew, 74–70, in the first round of the tournament.[19]

City Reapers (2022–2023)

In the 2022–23 OTE season, Thompson was named captain of the City Reapers and played alongside Amen.[20] On December 12, 2022, he earned league Player of the Week honors.[21] Thompson was selected as Player of the Week for a second time on February 6, 2023, after posting a league single-game record 12 assists, with 17 points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes against the Holy Rams.[22] At the end of the regular season, he was named OTE MVP and made the All-OTE First Team, with averages of 16.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.4 steals per game.[23][24] Thompson led the Reapers to the league title in a 3–0 sweep of the YNG Dreamerz, repeating as Finals MVP. In the final game, he made a game-winning three-pointer with three seconds left.[25] On April 21, 2023, he declared for the 2023 NBA draft, where analysts viewed him as a potential top-10 pick.[23]

Detroit Pistons (2023–present)

The Detroit Pistons selected Thompson with the fifth overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, one pick behind his twin brother Amen.[26] They were the first brothers in NBA draft history to be selected in the top 5 in the same year.[27]

References
  1. Ausar Thompson Interview – Overtime Elite Practice – 12.5.22. Pro Insight. December 9, 2022. Event occurs at 0:09. Retrieved February 17, 2023 – via YouTube.
  2. Gutierrez, Israel (August 31, 2022). "The Thompson twins and Overtime Elite's unproven path to the NBA". ESPN. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  3. Polacheck, Jacob (April 18, 2022). "An Audacious Dream Meets Itself in Reality: A Look Inside Overtime Elite's Inaugural Season". Zagsblog. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  4. Graham, Pat (June 20, 2023). "Twins Amen and Ausar Thompson set to be taken in top-10 of NBA draft". ABC News. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  5. Schoenfield, Bruce (November 30, 2021). "The Teenagers Getting Six Figures to Leave Their High Schools for Basketball". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  6. Wilson, David (March 6, 2021). "'I did not think we were going to win': Pine Crest wins state title with miracle comeback". Miami Herald. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  7. Lichtenstein, Adam (December 15, 2020). "Broward County boys basketball Fab Five for 2020 (and the next five)". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  8. Lichtenstein, Adam (March 27, 2021). "Broward 5A-1A boys basketball co-players of the year: Ausar Thompson and Amen Thompson, Pine Crest juniors". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  9. "Ausar Thompson – Basketball Recruiting". ESPN. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  10. "Ausar Thompson". Rivals. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  11. Young, Justin (October 2, 2019). "South Florida's Thompson Twins are catching on with recruiters". HoopSeen. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  12. Branham, Travis (May 26, 2021). "Elite twins Amen and Ausar Thompson skip college to join the Overtime Elite program". 247Sports. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  13. Boone, Kyle (May 25, 2021). "Overtime Elite lands another set of twins as Amen and Ausar Thompson choose professional program over college". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  14. Woo, Jeremy (March 7, 2022). "Can Overtime Elite Disrupt Basketball With ... Twins?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  15. Araiza, Robert (January 13, 2023). "Amen & Ausar Thompson: Should the San Antonio Spurs roll the dice?". Air Alamo. FanSided. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  16. Sprung, Shlomo (August 26, 2022). "Overtime Elite Roster 2022–23". Boardroom. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  17. Givony, Jonathan (October 13, 2021). "Overtime Elite announces 2021–22 schedule, roster for inaugural season". ESPN. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  18. Feldman, Joseph (March 14, 2022). "Team Elite Wins First Overtime Elite Championship". Overtime Elite. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  19. DeMarinis, Matt (July 17, 2022). "Omaha Blue Crew outlasts Team Overtime in a battle of old versus new". White and Blue Review. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  20. Feldman, Joseph (September 21, 2022). "OTE Announces Roster Reveal and Expansion for Season 2". Overtime Elite. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  21. Feldman, Joseph (December 12, 2022). "Ausar Thompson Named Player of the Week". Overtime Elite. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  22. Feldman, Joseph (February 6, 2023). "Ausar Thompson Named OTE Player of the Week". Overtime Elite. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  23. Cobb, David (April 21, 2023). "2023 NBA Draft: Amen, Ausar Thompson declare as likely lottery picks after playing for Overtime Elite". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  24. Feldman, Joseph (February 20, 2023). "OTE Announces Regular Season Awards". Overtime Elite. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  25. Feldman, Joseph (March 7, 2023). "City Reapers Win OTE Championship". Overtime Elite. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  26. Siegel, Brett (June 22, 2023). "Ausar Thompson: Meet the Pistons' No. 5 pick in 2023 NBA Draft". ClutchPoints. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  27. Woodyard, Eric (June 23, 2023). "Amen, Ausar Thompson first brothers taken in top five of same NBA draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
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