Ausar Thompson

Ausar XLNC Thompson (born January 30, 2003) 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.

Early life
Thompson was born to Maya Wilson and Troy Thompson and raised in San Leandro, California. His identical twin brother, Amen, was born one minute before him; they share the middle name "XLNC" (pronounced "excellence"). 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. The twins were homeschooled in sixth and seventh grades to focus on basketball.

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. The twins immediately started for the team. 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. 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.

Recruiting
Thompson was rated a five-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals. He gained interest from college programs in 2019, receiving a scholarship offer from Alabama. 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.

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. 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. He competed against other OTE teams, as well as prep school and postgraduate opponents. 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. Thompson played for OTE affiliate Team Overtime in The Basketball Tournament in July 2022. His team lost to Omaha Blue Crew, 74–70, in the first round of the tournament.

City Reapers (2022–2023)
In the 2022–23 OTE season, Thompson was named captain of the City Reapers and played alongside Amen. On December 12, 2022, he earned league Player of the Week honors. 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. 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. 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. On April 21, 2023, he declared for the 2023 NBA draft, where analysts viewed him as a potential top-10 pick.

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. They were the first brothers in NBA draft history to be selected in the top 5 in the same year. On October 25, 2023, Thompson made his NBA regular-season debut, putting up four points, seven rebounds, three assists, and five blocks in a 103–102 loss to the Miami Heat. Thompson also became the youngest player in NBA history to put up at least five blocks in an NBA debut, at 20 years old and 269 days. Thompson was a part of the roster that lost an NBA record-high 28 straight games in the 2023–24 season. He played in 63 games (38 starts) during his rookie season, averaging 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. On March 20, 2024, Thompson was shut down for the season after being treated for a blood clot.