- 2 days ago
NBA forward Tristan Thompson joined Forbes senior writer Jabari Young on The Enterprise Zone at the Nasdaq MarketSite. During the discussion, Thompson recaps his 14-year career in the NBA, his business ventures off the court, including his involvement with AI startup TracyAI, and his interest in cryptocurrency.
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SportsTranscript
00:00Hard worker, a self-starter, a self-motivator. When he has his eyes set on something, the man goes and get it.
00:06Those are just a few traits that describe this individual.
00:10And in a minute, we'll be diving into the portfolio of NBA champion, Tristan Thompson.
00:15You're in the Enterprise Zone at the NASDAQ.
00:22Hello, everyone. It's Jabari Young, senior writer at Forbes, and I am here at the NASDAQ,
00:27joined by NBA champion, 14-year pro, Tristan Thompson, right?
00:32Last play for the Cleveland Cavaliers, spent time with the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Chicago.
00:38You didn't want to play in Philly, where I'm from, but that's all good.
00:40You're a free agent. We might get you. We might get you this offseason, man.
00:43How are you doing, man?
00:44I'm good, man. Thank you for having me on. I love the energy.
00:46I just like to tell you of this former sports background with how you do the intro, so I like this.
00:49I appreciate that, man. We dab a little bit in the same league.
00:53You know, you got a little bit more money than me, but, you know.
00:55Hey, man, listen, we're here at the NASDAQ, so I always like to ask guests coming, man.
00:59Give me a stock. What has worked well for Tristan Thompson?
01:02What are you looking to buy or something that you sold that you still can't believe you made that much money off of?
01:06I mean, you know, the stock that I love is anything that's AI and tech-related, right?
01:10I think that's just, you know, the narrative right now.
01:13Obviously, you know, we've all bought, you know, I've been with Nike for 14 years, so I definitely bought some Nike stock.
01:19So I'm never going to hold on to that, right?
01:20So any partnership that I have that's a company that's publicly traded, I'm definitely going to buy a stock, right?
01:25You've got to invest in yourself.
01:26That's right. Yeah.
01:27You know, that's so funny. I still have not gotten any Nike stock. I don't know why.
01:30I should have because I was wearing a pair of them like the other day on a plane, and I'm like, I still haven't done that.
01:35And they always say you're supposed to invest in the things that you wear and you produce.
01:38Yeah, so whether it's Nike or you drink to try to eat lattes or you like McDonald's, whatever it is, you've got to own what you consume.
01:45You've got to get some of that, man.
01:46Well, listen, a lot has been going on in 2025, man.
01:49You know, you've got wars going on, you've got tariffs and all that stuff.
01:53What has keeping Tristan Thompson motivated?
01:55Give me the soundtrack to your 2025.
01:57What's the music you've been listening to to keep you positive and creative?
02:00I mean, for me, you know, I'm a big R&B guy, right?
02:03I'm a big slow jams.
02:04You know, I come from a household where my mom would play, you know, 90s music, you know, some Usher, Luther Vandross, Anita Baker, you know, that feel-good music.
02:11You know what I'm saying?
02:12So that's kind of helped me during these crazy times in our world.
02:15But, you know, for me, it's just about loving, you know, keeping your family closed, loving on your loved ones, loving on my children to get me, you know, get it day by day.
02:23Yeah, absolutely, man.
02:24Listen, you can't go wrong with some Anita Baker, man.
02:26Caught up in the rapture of love, man.
02:28You can't do it.
02:28Come on now.
02:29You put that thing on on a cleaning Sunday, forget about it, man.
02:32Well, how's fatherhood, man?
02:33Father's Day just.
02:34Father's Day just passed, right?
02:35I hope you got some good gifts.
02:36I mean, we'll always get socks, right?
02:37When fathers do, you get socks, right?
02:39You do.
02:40I got a pair of socks, too.
02:41You're a girl dad, too, as well.
02:42Yeah, yeah.
02:43I am, too.
02:44How is that for you?
02:45Oh, it's the best.
02:45I think it gives you a different perspective of life, you know?
02:48You know, having boys and girls, I think, well, your sons, it's more like, you know, your little homie, right?
02:54Like your little brother, right?
02:56And you kind of help raise them.
02:57But for your daughter, it kind of just gives you that love and compassion element.
03:00Yeah.
03:00And I think for us, especially, you know, for me being a sports team,
03:04you covering sports for a long period of time, traveling a lot, right?
03:07You kind of lose that sense of, like, joy and happiness.
03:10And, you know, just looking in your daughter's eyes, it kind of just makes you just,
03:13even when you have a bad day, if you're losing three games in a row, look in her eyes, you know, it changes everything.
03:18Yeah, they teach you how to love better, man.
03:19It's like, you know, you love better.
03:21You're a little bit more sensitive.
03:22And, you know, they could just run to you and put their head on you.
03:24It's like, oh, man.
03:25Suck it right up.
03:26Right, right away.
03:27Get whatever you want.
03:28Yeah, man.
03:29Well, as your career winds down, right, you eventually decide to retire.
03:32And we'll talk about that in a little bit.
03:34But you walk into a fifth grade class and, you know, it's all over.
03:37And they say, well, what do you do, Tristan?
03:39What do you want to tell them in a few years once basketball is done when somebody asks, what do you do?
03:44Oh, that's a great question.
03:45For me, it's more so, say, what do you do?
03:48I say, you know, of course I've played basketball for a long time.
03:50But for me, it's, you know, I want to be an educator.
03:52I want to be able to give, you know, the younger generation the tools and kind of like the free game, the blueprint, right?
03:58I think Jay-Z hits it with the album, right?
04:00The blueprint, right?
04:01The blueprint of life.
04:02Because I think, you know, for myself, I've been through so much ups and downs and whatever it may be.
04:07I think those gifts, it's only right to pay it forward, right?
04:10So for a young kid, I remember being in the fifth grade and trying to dunk the ball and, you know, want to play basketball at the highest level and have those hoop dreams.
04:18You know, doing the countdown, you know, five, four, three, two, one, having those moments.
04:21But I tell them, what I always say is that, no basketball until you do your homework.
04:25I always say that.
04:26School books before sports.
04:27That's right.
04:27Because without education, you can't have that success.
04:30Yeah, most definitely, man.
04:31Well, listen, we jump into the court right fast because technically you're an unrestricted free agent.
04:35I can't see you playing anywhere else outside of Cleveland.
04:37I mean, you've got the most consecutive games there.
04:39You're in the record books.
04:40You helped the team win the championship, right?
04:42And it seems like that's just home, right?
04:43I figure out when I was talking to somebody the other day and it was an NBA scout and I said, I got Tristan Thompson coming up, man.
04:48What would you ask him?
04:49And he says, man, he's been around for such a long time.
04:51And you kind of dig into that perspective of what it takes to last 14 years in the league.
04:56But I consider you the Udonis Haslam of the Cleveland Cavaliers, right?
04:59The vet, staying there, you know, keeping these young guys coming in motivated.
05:03Is that going to be home next season?
05:05Yeah.
05:05I mean, listen, I would love to go back.
05:06I'm pretty sure we can figure something out because I think, like you said,
05:09you know, I've done so much great things, not just for the Cavs, but for the city of Cleveland that they appreciate.
05:14You know, Dan Gilbert and his family, you know, drafting me at 19 out of Texas
05:18and really just having me be cemented in part of that legacy and part of that Cavaliers DNA.
05:23Like you said, kind of being that Udonis Haslam role.
05:26So, you know, for me, the way you get to this moment and this point is not just skills.
05:30I think it's just your character, right?
05:32I think people take that for granted, but it's like any job, right?
05:35We spend more time with whoever our coworkers are than our immediate family.
05:39They become your family, right?
05:40And it's like anything.
05:41You don't want to go to work every day with someone that you don't like, right?
05:43So, you know, talent's going to get you.
05:45It depends on how much I'm getting paid.
05:46I will do it for a certain amount of money.
05:47I get it.
05:49Yes, yes, of course.
05:50But at some point, right, when talent diminishes, character becomes more important.
05:55Yeah.
05:55Right?
05:55So as your career gets older, listen, would I want to be like Jared Allen and be jumping out the gym every day?
05:59Absolutely.
06:00But my kneecaps, the bounce back timing, the recall ain't the same.
06:03Yeah.
06:03So how do you make yourself a valuable asset to a franchise that makes you, you know, that they can't replace you?
06:10And then for me, it's more so my wisdom, my mind, and just my work ethic.
06:14Coming in every day, whether it's lifting, treatment, getting on the court, showing them what it takes to be a pro at 14-plus years, right?
06:21That's, I think, just as important as your rotational guys that are playing 20-plus minutes a night.
06:27Yeah.
06:27Do you have an endgame in mind?
06:28You know, I was at CBT McCollum who was up here the other day, and we were talking, and he says, you know, he probably would play another four, maybe five years or something like that.
06:35Do you have an endgame in mind?
06:36Is that already in your mind already, or are you not thinking about it?
06:39Because they say if you're starting to think about it, then you should maybe start to quit.
06:41Yeah, no, I think this is how I approach the game, right?
06:46And when I start, when I stop getting upset about losses, then I know it's over.
06:50So I still get frustrated.
06:51Even if I'm not in the game, I still get frustrated after a loss.
06:54I still get upset and don't want to talk to people and tell people, you know, just give me a minute.
06:59So I know the love is still there.
07:01So I want to keep doing that for as long as I can.
07:03But obviously, like Father Time, at some point, that chapter does close.
07:07So for me now, I've always leveraged and positioned myself so when that time does come, I'm not just sitting with my hands empty.
07:15I have something to transition to right away.
07:17Yeah, most definitely.
07:18Well, listen, the NBA draft just passed, right?
07:20I mean, you know, the season's over.
07:22OKC Thunder champions.
07:24By the way, I'm going to hold you accountable because I was listening to an interview you did,
07:27and you had actually picked the Pacers to win game seven in Oklahoma City.
07:31And I'm thinking to myself, Tristan Thompson knows better.
07:34He's been in Oklahoma City plenty of times as of high.
07:37You know how hard it is to win in that place, and yet you picked the Pacers to win in game seven.
07:41Now, Teresa Halliburton did go down, and so that did change the fortune things.
07:44But even if he was healthy, they wasn't going to win that game.
07:47That's Oklahoma City.
07:48You know how crazy the fans are.
07:49You're right.
07:49Oklahoma City is definitely a tough place to play.
07:51And listen, you know, Shea, you know, SGA Shea, you know, from Toronto, from the city,
07:56been a little brother to me.
07:57So, obviously, I'm so happy for them and congratulate them on winning, and they deserve it.
08:02You know, for me, when it comes to game seven, I put myself into the perspective of what it
08:06takes to win a game seven, right?
08:08Veterans and strong coaching, right?
08:10One thing about Rick Carla, we've seen him do at the highest level, especially with
08:13the Dallas Magic, with a team that was less than, beat a juggernaut.
08:16Yeah.
08:16So, I was betting on more so of the DNA and the character of the Pascal Siakam,
08:20who's won the Rick Carla.
08:22Obviously, Tyrese Halliburton had nine points in seven minutes, so he was on the
08:25roll.
08:26Unfortunately, with that injury, it changed the whole dynamic of the game.
08:29So, I did have the picture because, you know, when it's game seven, I like to take
08:31veterans.
08:32Yeah.
08:32Yeah.
08:33And that's true.
08:33I mean, I will give you that because you need people to know how to win on the
08:37court in pivotal times.
08:38But it was good to see the Oklahoma City Thunder win because, you know, that town is
08:42very special.
08:42They got a fake river walk down there.
08:44I always tease them with San Antonio.
08:45But it's still, it's all good, man.
08:47But, you know, listen, again, the NBA draft just passed and, you know, I went back to
08:51something you said in 2013 when you was, you know, at Rookie Chronicles, Rookie Tales.
08:56And you said, you know, I think the hardest basket to get is the first one of your rookie
09:01rear.
09:01That first basket is something.
09:02You're kind of searching for it.
09:03It doesn't, if it doesn't drop, you just need to lay up.
09:06You need a dunk.
09:06You need something.
09:07But it's so hard to get that first basket once you get, you know, into the league.
09:11Right?
09:11What would you tell these incoming rookies coming in now?
09:14Yeah, I think you just don't overthink it.
09:16I think just be yourself, right?
09:17I think there's a lot of nerves your first game because, like you said, you are searching
09:20for it.
09:20You're searching to make that impact, especially, you know, these lottery picks, right?
09:23They want to, they feel the pressure.
09:25The reality, there is pressure.
09:26There's pressure to perform.
09:27There's pressure to, you know, change a franchise in the right direction, right?
09:31So what I tell them is that, you know, just dive into the game, you know, just dive
09:35into the game and just dive into the moment, right?
09:38Don't think about the outside accolades or the pressure.
09:40Just dive in.
09:41And, you know, for me, it was that first dunk, right?
09:43That first dunk or layup makes it so much easier and smoother.
09:46What I will say is that for guys, don't try with a three because I've seen some other rookies
09:49try to score the first basket with threes and they've never made one for, like, 15 games.
09:52It's hard to tell a young generation at this stage, though, because they're shooting threes
09:55nonstop.
09:56That's why I love Shea Gillis-Alexander because he utilizes the mid-range game, like, effectively.
09:59DeMar DeRose is another one, but, you know, and it looks, it's very, it really is hard.
10:03I can imagine you getting drafted and you want to score that first bucket, you know, do something
10:07nice, but, you know, miss all your shots and then you're off or whatever like that.
10:10Do you remember your first bucket in the league?
10:11Yeah, my first, I remember exactly.
10:13We played against the Raptors, so me being from Toronto, my first game was against the
10:16Raptors in Cleveland, and I remember I dunked on Ed Davis, like a, like a bounce pass on
10:21the baseline and got a quick dunk.
10:22Wow.
10:22Yeah, I remember that because I remember the Raptors had the fifth pick and they were,
10:25you know.
10:25And they passed you over.
10:26Well, I was, I went four, so I went four.
10:28But when I talked to him, you know, Brian Colangelo, you know, a lot of respect to him, but,
10:32you know, he was saying, oh, we're unsure if you were Ed Davis.
10:35So I kind of used it as motivation.
10:37Motivation.
10:37Yeah.
10:37Yeah.
10:38What's Tristan Thompson like in business, man?
10:40I mean, all season's over, right?
10:41You know, basketball now is, you know, side for a minute.
10:45You want to get back into it, I'm sure.
10:46But what do you like in business off the court?
10:48Yeah, for business off the court, for me, you know, I've been diving into this Web3 AI
10:52space.
10:52You know, for me, you know, I'm a big financial literacy guy.
10:56I'm a big, you know, pay it forward and see what's next to come.
10:59And I think for sports, but just in finance in general, right?
11:03You see all the new news, the headlines, whether how much AI is becoming an asset to the working
11:09class people, also in sports, but even just the Web3 space with the finance, right?
11:14With stable coins, blockchain, you know, being adopted and being backed by, you know, U.S.
11:20treasuries, right?
11:20That's a huge thing for our economy.
11:23And that's a huge thing for our everyday people where now it's on us with people that
11:28have face and recognition to give that education behind it so they understand what is going
11:32on.
11:32Yeah.
11:33Yeah.
11:33Well, let's dive into your portfolio a little bit, man, because in June, you joined a
11:37decentralized platform, right?
11:39Axon, is that it?
11:39Am I pronouncing that right?
11:40Axon, D-A-O.
11:42And this company is a decentralized science platform, right?
11:46And that aims to revolutionize healthcare.
11:48What made you join with this company?
11:50How did that transaction take place?
11:51What do you see?
11:52Why are you lending your name to them?
11:54Yeah.
11:54Well, so, you know, with healthcare, it comes close to home, right?
11:58My brother, Amari, has epilepsy.
12:01Just to give a little background for epilepsy, one out of 100 people have epilepsy.
12:04For the form, the type that he has, it's called LSG, which is short form.
12:08One out of three million people that have epilepsy have that one.
12:11So for him, it's kind of the, quote, unquote, the most severest form of epilepsy.
12:15So he's, you know, he's fully disabled.
12:17I have, you know, caretakers working on the clock 24 hours, seven days a week.
12:23And for me, you know, just going back to that story of how it happened with seizures, right?
12:26So for me being from Canada, you know, universal healthcare, it sounds good, but it's not always the best recipe for when you have loved ones that have a specific illness, right?
12:36So for me, being able to be part of a platform that is basically taking your health data and now making it available for every one of you and review.
12:46But it's different prongs, right?
12:48I think the low-hanging fruit is that, you know, I have a loved one that's going through epilepsy.
12:52You may have one, right?
12:54For us to be able to see each other's notes and charts and be able to build that unity to talk about it, right?
12:58To understand what are some of the treatments that you use for your loved ones to help it out, right?
13:02But also from a breakthrough perspective, right, I think, you know, with the healthcare industry, there's so many amazing people that are coming with breakthrough technology and medicine that can cure certain forms of diseases.
13:15But that person might be in Saudi Arabia, and I'm in Cleveland, right?
13:19I don't have that access.
13:20And like, you know, getting your health data from, you know, hospitals, it's kind of a pain in your butt.
13:27You know, you've got to get approvals.
13:28You've got to get sign-off.
13:29You've got to hopefully the physician's not on vacation, and he can send over.
13:33So imagine being able to put it on a decentralized platform where everyone has access to it.
13:38That just helps bring us together more from a healthcare perspective for more breakthrough technology.
13:43You don't sense a danger there, though, because, you know, when you put all this data out there, it's available to anybody, right?
13:49And maybe they can get it, and, you know, who knows, right?
13:51We're in this very interesting time, misinformation, people using it.
13:55They don't know where they're getting their news sources from.
13:56They're just putting it out there.
13:57Every time somebody's going and looking at it and we're talking news, somebody will say to me, well, they said.
14:02I'm saying, well, who's they?
14:03And, oh, well, I saw it on Instagram.
14:04Like, we're in this very interesting time.
14:07Like, so when you talk about health data and putting it out there, you don't sense any danger with that?
14:11Well, this is the one thing about being on chain, right?
14:13It's decentralized.
14:14It's not that there's a name behind it, right?
14:16So if I put, for instance, if I put a sickness that I'm going through, it's not saying Tristan Thompson, this is his chart.
14:21It's putting the charts out there but with no name.
14:23One thing about being on chain is that it's all smart contracts.
14:26It's addresses.
14:27It's numbers that create this address that builds out your portfolio.
14:30So it's not a name or a KYC where you can pinpoint it to who it is exactly.
14:33But also with Accent, we also have doctors that are part of the project and profiles where it allows doctors to review your stuff, right?
14:42And that's what we really want, right?
14:43We want to be able to have physicians all around the world, be able to have access to these files where they can help create breakthrough, right?
14:50It's great for us to go back and forth about what things that we've done to help our loved ones have a better life.
14:56But the big thing is having these doctors have this access to see this because, you know, you never know.
15:03What if someone finds a cure to colon cancer that lives in Kenya?
15:07We can't get a hold of them.
15:08He doesn't – there's no way to migrate our world in America to someone that has a breakthrough finding in Africa, right?
15:16How do we bridge that gap?
15:18So the way we do it is on chain and a decentralized platform that's able to allow that access, right?
15:23For me, being in the space, it's all about how do we merge both worlds, from the Web 3 to the Web 2.
15:28And with health, that's a big necessity, and it's a big essential for just the human species.
15:33Yeah, yeah.
15:33So with this role, right, obviously – are you an investor, first of all, with the company?
15:37Okay, so you are an investor.
15:38Yeah, I'm an investor as well, yeah.
15:39Right, okay.
15:39Any –
15:40Now, what is your official title?
15:42Well, chief – like, chief advisor.
15:44Chief advisor.
15:45Yeah, so I think for me, it's more so how do you bridge the gap, right?
15:47How do you build this awareness, right?
15:49Like I said, any company that I'm part of, I've always invested, right?
15:51I think you've got to –
15:52So it's not – there's no endorsement deal, so I'm an investor.
15:55No, I'm an investor because I believe in it, right?
15:56I understand the vision, and I understand the call of action, right?
16:00I think that's the most important thing.
16:01Whenever guys, you know, attach their name to something or invest in something,
16:04you've got to believe in what the product and the DNA of the people behind it is about.
16:09And I believe in that because, you know, I understand the value, and it hits close to home.
16:13Because I remember, you know, I'm seeing my mom at 2 a.m. crying
16:17because her six-month-old son is having a seizure and, you know, is foaming from the mouth.
16:22Like that stuff is – that's trauma that you're always going to remember.
16:24So for me, being in a position of power, to be an MBA, right?
16:27Being an MBA has allowed me this access to meet these great people that are creating great things
16:31that can help, not just help my family, but help other families that don't have that access or resource
16:36that I was able to have.
16:37Yeah, absolutely.
16:38And then you have also – you're an investor in this platform, Tracy AI, right?
16:43I mean, I've seen everybody tweet about it, Khloe Kardashian tweets about it and all of that.
16:47Take me inside of this, right?
16:49This is obviously an artificial Gen AI app that is supposed to help teams, you know,
16:55mine data better around players, right?
16:57What are you – what is doing – Tracy AI doing that all these other platforms,
17:01especially the NBA's involvement, that they're not – what's so special about it?
17:03Well, I think, like we said earlier in the show, you know, AI is being part of our everyday life, right?
17:09You see it each and every day, and then for me with sports, you know, you having a sport background,
17:15you understand how sports is always forward-thinking, but this is the one area that they haven't touched yet.
17:19I know Daryl Morey a couple months back was at a summit, and he said he actually –
17:23I heard that he built this roster off of it.
17:25I was like, why did he – that's scary to me, though.
17:29Listen, Philadelphia, the six-year Sixers, obviously had a rough year record-wise.
17:33Very rough, and that's because he built the roster with AI.
17:35I wouldn't say that.
17:36I think injury plays a thing, you know?
17:37So injury – I mean, listen, one thing about humans, you can't – AI can only do so much.
17:41You can't get the guy to play.
17:42But I think that just shows you the early start of the migration, right?
17:46And I think, like everyone, they want to be the first and be ahead of the curve.
17:49And for me, you know, being in space, I said, how can I build something that's low-hanging fruit
17:55that I can relate to, which is sports, and how can I bring on-chain and tech to that?
18:00So I think with advanced analytics, right, you can go to NBA.com,
18:03and you can see your points per game.
18:05I mean, when you used to cover games, you'd see your – you'd get your little sheet of the guy's analytics,
18:08but those are very basic and general, right?
18:10But I think as the game is growing and progressing, our fan engagement, they want to know more.
18:15They want to be in the locker room.
18:16They want to know the stats and the access we have.
18:18So with Tracy, AI, I've pulled the APIs from all the high-level analytics that we have access to as a team,
18:24but now giving it the palm of your hands for the average consumer to see that.
18:28And it's a three-pronged ring, right, for the consumer being able to see the analytics and understand it,
18:33but from, like, who's the best clutch time player?
18:35How is this analytics and stats brought up?
18:38Points per possession plus field goal percentage, time of the game, right?
18:41But also from a team perspective, how can you improve your roster, right?
18:45You can ask Tracy, how can I improve my roster?
18:47And it's not like a Chad GBT.
18:49This is where Tracy is.
18:50She's built her own brain, where she's able – she's a little on edge, like, you know,
18:55a little spicy, I'd like to say, where she could probably say to you, you know,
18:58if you're a team that doesn't have a good record, she'd probably be like,
19:00your roster is far off from anywhere near being a playoff team.
19:04But here's ways that you could improve your roster with guys that are free agents,
19:07guys that you have on your team.
19:08This guy might not work for what your goal is, but it's a whole conglomerate ecosystem
19:14that are trying to build out for not just basketball, but sports in general.
19:17Yeah, yeah.
19:18Well, I mean, deeper look into your portfolio, man.
19:20I see 18 – 818 Tequila, right?
19:22You're a investor in that as well.
19:23818, yeah, 818, yeah, yeah, yeah.
19:24Yeah, you know, Cloud Popcorn, am I saying that right?
19:27Yeah, yeah, yeah, Cloud, yeah.
19:28And then, you know, Viola, right?
19:29You know, our friend Al, you know, doing that thing.
19:32Crypto, obviously, you have.
19:33Real estate?
19:34You got any real estate out there?
19:35Real estate as well, yeah.
19:35Real estate?
19:36How about franchising?
19:37Junior Bridgman, God bless his life, died over in 500, you know, fast food restaurants.
19:41Are you into franchising at all?
19:41I haven't gotten into that space, but, you know, Junior Bridgman has done his story,
19:45especially, you know, not – you know, what I love about his story is that he didn't
19:49have to be the guy on the court to gain that access.
19:52But that also shows and should give guys motivation in our sport that you don't have to be the
19:58franchise player to own multiple franchises.
20:00That's right.
20:00See how it plays on.
20:01So I think he used his resource and opportunities to open a lot for himself, and he kind of,
20:07you know, set the runway for us where, you know, it's unfortunate that we have a mutual
20:12contact where he was actually going to introduce me to Junior Bridgman prior to him passing.
20:16So, you know, God rest his soul on what he's able to – what he's able to accomplish and
20:20put together for his lineage and his family.
20:22But he's definitely someone I look at as motivation for sure.
20:25Yeah.
20:25Take me back, man, to Brampton, Ontario.
20:28What was that like growing up for you out in Canada?
20:30Yeah, I mean, Brampton's a suburb to Toronto.
20:32I mean, growing up as a kid, everyone, you know, played hockey.
20:36Obviously, Vince Carter kind of changed that narrative when he came to the Raptors.
20:40And, you know, I always remember being a kid, I wanted to play in the NBA.
20:42I remember I went to a summer camp, and one of the coaches there, during the time, he
20:46actually coached Team Canada.
20:48I remember he said to us at the camp, none of you guys will ever play Division I college
20:52or make the NBA.
20:53You guys can all just go to local colleges here and just enjoy the camp for what it is.
20:57And I was like, all right, well, I'm going to remember what that guy said, and I'm going
21:01to use that as motivation to get to where I got to.
21:03And I remember when I got to the NBA, I ran into him at like an exhibition game, and I
21:08looked at him and said, you know, I appreciate you.
21:09And he's like, what do you mean?
21:10I said, I remember what you said to me at the camp.
21:11I said to the kids at the camp, they'll never make the NBA or play Division I basketball.
21:14And really, because of you, that's where I'm at right now.
21:16Motivating.
21:17And his face was so like, he thought he saw a ghost.
21:19Yeah.
21:19He thought he saw a Casper.
21:20I said, no, Casper, I'm just here.
21:21Yeah, yeah, yeah.
21:23I want to read this to you, man.
21:24It was published in June 25th, 2011.
21:30Tristan is the type of kid where he only needs the door to open a crack, and he's in.
21:35He's the kind of kid that knows what he wants, and he will fight to get it.
21:39That was a mother's guide to glory.
21:42You know, how did you, obviously, make it to the NBA?
21:45This is your mom.
21:45God bless her life.
21:47What did you learn from your mom, Andrea?
21:48School bus driver, and obviously she passed away in 2023, if I'm not mistaken.
21:52What's the biggest thing you learned from her that you still carry on today?
21:55Never cheat the process.
21:56You know, my mom was balancing two, three jobs for us growing up as kids to kind of provide for us, right?
22:01You know, she was the mom that we would drive from, you know, Toronto all the way to North Carolina for AAU tournaments.
22:07And, you know, she'd be driving the car, and I had my little brother, and she'd be breastfeeding in while driving.
22:13And she's like, yo, my baby, you got to make the game, right?
22:14So, for me, it was just, like, just the hard work and dedication.
22:18You know, the sacrifices she made, and she never cut corners.
22:21You know, she was the type of person who took her shirt off the back for someone that she loves and cares about.
22:26So, for me, it's kind of been the same thing in my career is that, you know, I'm all about team first.
22:30All about team first.
22:31I'm about the common goal because winning trumps everything, but it's a process, right?
22:34To get to become a winner, it's all these steps in between, right?
22:38It's the dog days in January where you don't want to get up and work out.
22:42You know, those extra reps that you don't want to do.
22:44But even just from a character's perspective where, you know, when you walk in and you see someone, say good morning.
22:49You know, have manners because, you know, I like to use this form is that, you know, today's janitor is tomorrow's CEO.
22:55So, you never know who you're going to run into where, at some point in your life,
22:58someone that you might have just gave some positive words of encouragement might become your next business partner.
23:02That's right.
23:02Might become your boss, might become someone that you might need to come to for a time of need and need to lean on them, right?
23:08So, for me, that's what I've learned from my mom is that never take days for granted but always put the work in
23:13because what you put in is what you get out.
23:14Yeah, and obviously, man, you know, that love, you know, that affection, you know,
23:17you obviously go on to St. Benedict, go to Nevada, you know, into the prep school there, then Texas,
23:21and then you pick number one, fourth overall, in the first round, fourth overall in 2011,
23:26and then obviously win the championship.
23:27Again, 14 years played.
23:29I want to say some names to you, right?
23:31About five minutes left, and you tell me one word that comes to the top of my mind, right?
23:36Anderson Bear job.
23:42Bull.
23:43Bull.
23:43Bull.
23:44Love it.
23:45Kyrie Irving.
23:50Gifted.
23:51Gifted.
23:51Love it.
23:52Kevin Love.
23:55Menace.
23:56Menace.
23:57Mike Brown, the coach.
23:58Mike Brown's my dog.
24:04One word, Mike Brown.
24:09Accountable.
24:09Accountable.
24:10Antoine Jamison.
24:11And I only say that because he was the first vet that told you to stay consistent in your rookie season.
24:15And this man said, you know, listen, you're going to have your ups, your downs,
24:18you're going to have times you feel like you belong, times you feel like, what the hell am I doing here?
24:22Stay consistent.
24:23Outwork everybody on the court.
24:24When you hear Antoine Jamison's name, what comes to mind for you?
24:27I mean, I can't even, with Antoine, it's more than just one word.
24:31But if I had to pick one word, just, you know, I mean, I would say, I wouldn't even want to think of saying it.
24:35It would be like, thank you.
24:36You know, I think, you know, you know, he was at a point of his career where he was starting.
24:41And the fact that he was able to see the Cavaliers' vision in terms of drafting this young 19-year-old kid
24:47that they want to invest in for the long term, and for him being, you know, a former All-Star
24:51and still having a lot of great years in front of him, being able to understand and accept me as a young kid
24:56and give me that advice and kind of push me to become a pro in, like, what it takes to become a professional athlete, right?
25:02What it takes to stay in this league, show up, conduct yourself the right way, be a man amongst boys, right?
25:08And kind of grow up and mature quick.
25:10So, you know, I give a lot of credit to Antoine Jamison.
25:11Like, without him, I don't know where I would be today because he kind of showed me the blueprint and recipe
25:16of how to do things the right way in full spectrum.
25:19Yeah.
25:19Two more things.
25:20I'll let you get out of here, man, because you're busy.
25:21You got a lot of crypto, blockchain stuff to worry about you.
25:24Tracy AI, right?
25:25You got to continue to develop that.
25:27But, you know, we get business pitches all the time.
25:30I'm sure you see them all the time, man.
25:31Somebody walks up to you, you're Tristan Thompson.
25:34What do you want to hear from this entrepreneur to go to pitch a business plan?
25:37What's the trait that you want to see?
25:38I mean, I think with any business plan, right, I think you always want to give, you know, the person the floor.
25:42But I think I love people that are hungry and believe in what they're building, right?
25:47I think that's, you know, the hard work, even if you fail a couple of projects, I know at some point you're going to win.
25:53I think the determination, that's why I look in when getting in business with people, I want to see how much do you have a drive and love, right?
25:59Because for me, that's what got me to my career.
26:02That's where it's got me to 14 years.
26:03It's been the drive and commitment and then, like, punch the clock.
26:07Like, be like that working ant, you know?
26:09Like, be that custodial, be that custodial guy where he's going to come in and I'm going to do whatever it takes.
26:13If it means I got to squeegee the windows to make sure everything looks great, I'm going to do that, right?
26:17So I want to be in bed with entrepreneurs and guys that have that same drive where almost I'm not going to let, like, they should almost come to me and say,
26:25Tristan, I'm not going to let you say no because I'm going to sell you this.
26:28I'm going to pitch this to you so good where you're going to almost want to be on this journey with me.
26:33And that's the type of people I look to get in bed with.
26:34I love it.
26:35I love it, man.
26:36Always in my conversations with Jim Collins, right, his book, Good to Great.
26:39I think I can ask you this because you went on and had a very successful career again.
26:44Not done yet, but, you know, you think about the little boy that was in Ontario writing goals on the mirror, crossing them out, right,
26:51and then you go through the trials and tribulations and then you still end up here.
26:55What's the difference between a good NBA forward and a great one?
26:59I think you can be talented and be good, but to be great is what do you do when no one's looking?
27:06What do you do in the preparation?
27:07Are you watching film?
27:08Are you getting massage?
27:09Are you getting treatment?
27:10Are you watching games every night?
27:11You know, it's so surprising and kind of crazy to see how many guys don't watch basketball in their spare time.
27:18Like for me, and I give a lot of credit to Rich Paul and LeBron, was that when I got into the league,
27:23they said, and Chris Paul, they said, you've got to watch the game every night.
27:27Because, you know, as a night's hero, you want to watch some Netflix, you want to watch all these,
27:30you know, all these guys want to watch Love Island and all these shows, man.
27:32I'm like, no, like from being on the East Coast at 7 o'clock to the last game on the West Coast is over,
27:38my TV's only got basketball on because I want to, you've got to dive in and be a student of the game, right?
27:43You've got to be great or give yourself a chance, because greatness is not guaranteed.
27:47But you've got to do whatever it takes to give yourself that chance and opportunity.
27:50And then how to do that is that you've got to be really a savant of the game.
27:53All the greats are savants of the game.
27:55Think about it.
27:55LeBron, he knows all the plays in the event.
27:57He watches the game.
27:58Kobe, one of the greats, watches the game.
28:00Michael Jordan, watches all the games.
28:02Steph, like the greats, they all do the same thing.
28:05Tom Brady, they all do the same thing.
28:06They dive into the sport so deep where it becomes part of their everyday life.
28:11And it's not that, you know, you have your family and stuff, but that's who they are.
28:15And the people around them understand the importance of that because they see the vision and goal,
28:20what this person is trying to achieve.
28:21I think that's the difference.
28:23I love it, man.
28:24You've got to come back.
28:24We've got to continue to talk Web 3.
28:26You know, I mean, we've got to go all to that.
28:28I didn't even ask you how being associated with the Kardashians, how that helps you in business.
28:31I'm sure that's phenomenal for you.
28:33But, man, listen, I appreciate the time.
28:35Good luck with Tracy AI, man, and everything that you're doing in the Web 3 space as it continues to grow its legs.
28:40And I appreciate the time, my brother.
28:41I appreciate it, brother.
28:42Thank you for having me.
28:42Absolutely.
28:43Tristan Thompson here at the NASDAQ.
28:45You might see him, Web 3, Tracy AI.
28:48Check it all out.
28:49And also, follow his 15th season.
28:51He's coming back.
28:51I hope he's with the Sixers.
28:52We'll see.
28:53I hope the Sixers have a better year.
28:55Thanks for watching.
28:56Thanks for listening.
28:57We'll see you next time.
29:01Thanks for listening.
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