Tristan Thompson

After their senior year, Thompson and Joseph both committed to Texas and were the fourth and fifth Canadians to be named McDonald's All-Americans, after Bill Wennington (1981), Barry Bekkedam (1986) and Olu Famutimi (2003).

Thompson was also named a Jordan Brand Classic All-American.

Thompson continued to make history, drafted alongside Joseph, who was picked 29th by the San Antonio Spurs, only the second occasion in NBA history to that date that two Canadians were selected in the first round of the same draft, the first being in 1983 when Leo Rautins and Stewart Granger were selected 17th and 25th respectively.

Tristan Trevor James Thompson (born March 13, 1991) is a Canadian-American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He continued to round and polish his skills his senior year in preparation for college and held fast to his commitment to the University of Texas, officially signing his letter of intent on November 11, 2009.

Thompson then led his team to another National Championship at the ESPN National High School Invitational.

The nation's top basketball programs heavily sought Thompson, who made the first verbal commitment of the class of 2010 to Rick Barnes and the Texas Longhorns.

Twenty-one games into his junior year, the relationship between Thompson and then-St.

Benedict's coach Dan Hurley hit a rough patch.

Hurley's in-your-face, no-holds-barred coaching style took a toll on the young star.

During a game against then-top-ranked Mater Dei, Hurley confronted Thompson during a time out.

A heated debate ensued, and Thompson was sent off the court and later removed from the team.

Over the next few days he made it known that he was planning to leave, resulting in a barrage of calls from top prep schools throughout North America trying to acquire his services.

The next week he transferred to Findlay Prep with his close friend and AAU teammate Cory Joseph.

Thompson joined Findlay on the back end of their schedule, making an immediate impact on the team and thriving under Findlay coach Michael Peck's system and coaching style.

Thompson solidified his top recruit status and helped lead Findlay to their first national championship.

Thompson averaged 13.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for the Texas Longhorns in 2010–11 as he won the team's Most Valuable Player award, as voted on by his teammates.

Nationally, Thompson was one of five finalists for the Wayman Tisdale Award, an honour given to the National Freshman of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

Thompson won the Big 12 Freshman of the Year honours as well as first-team NABC All-District 8 and USBWA All-District VII honours.

He led the team in rebounding, blocked shots (86), double-doubles (10) and field goal percentage (.546) while ranking second in scoring.

He helped Texas conclude the 2010–11 season with a 28–8 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32.

The Longhorns finished No. 8 in the final AP poll.

Thompson told media after the NCAA tournament that he planned to return to Texas for his sophomore season but changed his mind.

Thompson played one season of college basketball for the Texas Longhorns before being drafted fourth overall by the Cavaliers in the 2011 NBA draft.

He has also played for the Canadian national team.

Born in Brampton, Thompson attended St. Marguerite d'Youville Secondary School in Brampton for grade 9.

After driving from Brampton twice to visit a prep school in the United States, Thompson decided to attend Saint Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey for his sophomore year along with fellow University of Texas at Austin commit Myck Kabongo.

He cited the increase in exposure and skill level as his reason for transferring.

Thompson spent his sophomore and half his junior year at St. Benedict's, making an immediate impact and showing flashes of brilliance.

In his short time there, he shot through the ranks to super-stardom, becoming the top recruit in the nation entering his junior season.

On April 21, 2011, he declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his last three years of college eligibility.

On June 23, 2011, Thompson was drafted fourth overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 2011 draft was also the first time three Texas Longhorn basketball players went in the first round of a draft, when Thompson's former collegiate teammate Jordan Hamilton went 26th overall to the Dallas Mavericks.

During the 2011 NBA lockout, Thompson attended classes at the University of Texas to finish his college degree.

Thompson signed his rookie contract with the Cavaliers on December 9, 2011, before the start of training camp.

Thompson made his professional debut against his hometown Toronto Raptors on December 26, 2011.

In 17 minutes off the bench, Thompson scored 12 points and pulled in 5 rebounds.

Both Thompson and teammate Kyrie Irving were later named to the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge.

At the time, he was the highest drafted Canadian-born player in NBA history, that was until Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins were selected as the first overall pick in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

He won an NBA championship with the Cavaliers in 2016 and has also played for the Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers.