Ethan Thompson's Two-Way Deal with Magic a 'Dream Come True'

ORLANDO, Fla. – For several months, the locker between Goga Bitadze and two-way guard Mac McClung in the Orlando Magic's Kia Center changeroom sat empty.

No nameplate, stray pair of shoes, laundry loop or hanging jersey. Only a tall, vacant wooden cubby that represented an opportunity.

On February 8, however, that changed. At the top of the locker, an identical nameplate to the 17 others in the room read "ETHAN THOMPSON, 55."

The night before, on February 7, Orlando announced the signing of Osceola Magic guard Ethan Thompson to a two-way deal, filling the Magic's final remaining roster spot. Because of their competing schedules, however, Thompson wasn't yet able to see his new digs for himself.

But when he and McClung walked into the Magic's locker room about an hour before tip of Orlando's final game before the All-Star break, congratulations rang them in like church bells as the pair greeted their Orlando teammates. Thompson took a seat in his chair for the first time and an ear-to-ear smile painted his face.

"Dream come true, for sure," Thompson said in the locker room before the Magic's home win over Charlotte. "All glory to God; I'm grateful for the opportunity. [It's] something I've been working a long time for and I'm grateful that it's with this organization."

The California-born 25-year-old played four seasons at Oregon State, then went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft before latching on in the G League with the Windy City Bulls – the Chicago Bulls' affiliate team.

Through two seasons with Windy City, Thompson started 54 of his 63 regular season appearances and 19 of 26 Tip-Off Tournament games. He then started all 49 games spanning the regular season and Tip-Off Tournament with the Mexico City Capitanes in 2023-24. In that time, however, Thompson never broke through and earned a real roster spot.

Thompson signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Magic days before training camp started ahead of the ongoing campaign. He was then waived a month later, but by staying with Osceola, the language of his contract meant he'd receive a financial bonus if he stayed with the squad for at least 60 days.

He'd done so with Osceola – making 30 appearances spanning the two portions of the season at the time of signing. By reportedly signing a two-year two-way deal, the Magic chose to reward Thompson's efforts.

"Man, that's my dog," McClung, a fellow two-way guard, told Magic on SI. "This is his fourth year, and he's been one of the best scorers in the G League for four years, and he finally got a two-way. God's timing never fails, and I think this is his time. We all love him and he's such a good guy. Everybody in the locker room was just so happy for him, and I definitely was as well."

"From top to bottom, ever since I came out here in the summer before training camp, I felt welcome," Thompson said. "It felt like home, whether it be with the Magic or with the guys at Osceola. It feels like it's the right place."

To that point, multiple Orlando players approached to offer their congratulations as Thompson spoke with reporters.

"Chill out, E," rookie Tristan da Silva said.

"Aye, get that boy right there, man!" veteran guard Cory Joseph said from a few stations over.

"I'll tell you, it's a great group of guys in here and I experienced that in training camp," Thompson said. "So, yeah, it's good to be here for sure."

Osceola had returned from a road trip to host a back-to-back at Silver Spurs Arena on Feb. 9 and 10 before the league went on pause for the annual NBA All-Star break. In fact, Thompson's signing was actually made official during Osceola's win over Raptors 905 on Feb. 7 – a game in which he logged a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double and buried three of his four three-point attempts.

He'd received the news the day prior and signed hours before tipoff versus Toronto's G League affiliate.

"It was a kind of a surreal moment," Thompson said. "Called my parents when I first found out the news. My mom instantly cried, [my] father [is] proud, my brother's proud as well. So it's a great thing to be able to share that with them."

His dad, Stephen Thompson, played 19 NBA games during the 1991-92 season – one of them being with the Magic. Stephen Thompson Jr., Ethan's older brother who also goes by "Stevie," is a guard for Milwaukee's G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.

That night versus Raptors 905, Thompson said he was more energized than normal as he began to understand his new reality. But, he was able to center himself and provide positive impact in the win – the same thing both Magic coach Jamahl Mosley and Thompson himself says he can do whenever relied upon with Orlando.

"Definitely [want to] make the most of the opportunity," Thompson said. "Come in here and find a way that I could help build a team and then contribute in any way possible.

"When my number is called, just know that I'm ready."

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