Top Longhorns of All-Time in the NBA No. 5 - Tristan Thompson
Over the years, The University of Texas has produced some outstanding basketball players who went on to establish special legacies in the National Basketball Association. The Forty Acres has served as a breeding ground for NBA teams with 34 players selected in the 73 NBA Drafts to date; with 18 of them being selected in the prestigious first round. Many Longhorns left Austin to become stars in the highly competitive theater of professional Basketball, proving once again that Texas Basketball is one of the top tier programs in the nation. With this impressive reputation in mind, here are the top five NBA Players that were members of Longhorn Nation:
Tristan Thompsan, C
Drafted fourth overall in the 2011 draft, Tristan Thompson came into the league with high expectations. Averaging 13.1 Pts, 7.8 Rebounds, and 1.3 Assists as a Longhorn and winning Big 12 Freshman of theYear in his lone season at UT, Thompson was able to prove his way into a top lottery pick in the NBA draft; only one of three longhorns to be selected in the top five.
In his rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Thompson averaged an underwhelming 8.2 points per game, but slowly became a steady and reliable piece to the Cavs over the past nine years. The highlight of which came in 2016 when the Cavs were able to pull off one of the most iconic comebacks in NBA Finals history. Averaging 10.3 Pts & 10.1 (Reb) in the series, Thompson helped rally the Cavs back from a 3-1 series deficit over the historic 73 win Warriors team led by Stephen Curry.
During the 2015–16 Championship season, Thompson scored a lucrative five-year extension with the Cavaliers worth over $82 million. Averaging a career high 12.0 Pts in the 2019-20 season, Tristan will seek a new contract as he becomes an unrestricted FA in the 2020 offseason.
Come back to check out who will come at No. 4.