Tag: Troy Thompson Sr.

How Troy Thompson Sr. helped guide his twin sons, Amen and Ausar, to NBA

For Amen and Ausar Thompson, becoming top-five NBA draft picks was the culmination of a multi-year journey. Their father, Troy Thompson Sr., spoke to @BigSargeSportz about their development.

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HOUSTON — Troy Thompson Sr. looked at the progress his twin sons, Amen and Ausar, had made on the basketball court during their middle school years. He knew their visions of playing in the NBA were on the right trajectory to become a reality.

Without hesitation, Thompson moved the family across the country — from San Leandro, California, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida — so his sons would not have to wait until their freshman year of high school to play varsity basketball.

When they arrived at Pine Crest School, the head coach knew he had something special. Three years later, in their junior seasons, the Thompson twins helped deliver a state championship while being named Broward County co-players of the year for their class.

Many projected Pine Crest to repeat with the twins returning for their senior season. But just as he had done when it was time to take his sons’ talent to the next level by moving them from California to Florida, Thompson took an alternate route.

In 2021, they joined the newly formed Overtime Elite (OTE) professional league. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the league is designed to help basketball players with elite talent work on getting their high school diplomas while enhancing their NBA profiles.

Amen and Ausar were initially unhappy with the idea of going to OTE, which was in its inaugural phase. But just as they had been hesitant to make the cross-country journey, they believed in their dad and knew he had their best interests at heart.

“Me and Coach knew it was going to be a couple of years before they were ready,” Thompson told RocketsWire. “In the 11th grade, when they won state (championship), there was nothing else to achieve at that level. So, we went into looking into some of the prep schools, and Overtime Elite was a new concept.”

“They talked about development. They had access to the gym all day, a state-of-the-art weight room, and all these good coaches who had already been to the NBA. We were going to be one-and-done (college) anyway. The goal was one-and-done, not four years to get to the league. This (Overtime Elite) gave us a built-in one-and-done.”

After helping the City Reapers win the OTE championship in their second season there, Amen was selected by the Rockets with the No. 4 overall selection in the 2023 NBA draft. His brother, Ausar, was taken with the fifth pick by the Detroit Pistons.

“You work at something for a very long time, and finally, it culminates into exactly what you wanted,” Thompson said after watching his sons finally reach the NBA “It’s great to see your kids achieve their dreams, and that is what we saw on draft night.”

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Rockets rookie Amen Thompson finds strength, role model in older brother Troy Thompson Jr.

“He is the blueprint and role model, for me,” Amen Thompson says of his older brother. “Growing up in Oakland, my family tried to keep me away from certain things, and he was a big part of that.”

HOUSTON — As Amen Thompson walked into Toyota Center for his introductory press conference, he was led by his family. The group consisted of his parents, Maya and Troy Thompson Sr.; his identical twin brother, Ausar, who was drafted one spot after Amen by the Detroit Pistons; and older brother Troy Thompson Jr., one of his biggest inspirations to play basketball.

Laying the foundation for the siblings’ hard work and dedication, Troy, who is eight years older than his younger brothers, was a very skilled high school player. After taking off a year after graduation, he chose to stay close to home and attended City College of San Francisco in 2014. He made the team as a walk-on and received 11 offers to play Division I basketball during his time there.

Halfway through his first year, he wrote down his goals. One of them was to continue his playing days and education at an historically black college or university (HBCU).

Thompson Jr.’s first choice was Howard University. Instead, he selected Prairie View A&M University, which is located 47 miles outside of Houston, to finish his final two years of eligibility from 2016 through 2018.

“I wrote down that I wanted to get 10 Division I offers, and at least one of them be an HBCU,” Thompson Jr. said. “I have family members that went to Prairie View, and it has a little nostalgic vibe with (his parents). I didn’t know a lot about PV until I got there. It was so welcoming, and it was a great experience for me. It helped me become a man. It was a good experience.”

Sharing those experiences with his younger siblings was one of the things that kept them motivated to continue following their dreams of making it into the NBA. Thompson Jr. tried out for Sacramento’s NBA G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings, in 2019, but he was not selected for the roster after the final cuts.

“Growing up, I didn’t even know that I was the influence I was,” Thompson Jr. said of being an inspiration to his brothers.

Yet, he was instrumental in the futures of Amen and Ausar, who decided to skip college and play two years at Overtime Elite, where they could strictly focus on basketball. The decision paid off. Amen Thompson was selected by the Houston Rockets with the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NBA draft, and Ausar was taken with the fifth pick of the draft.

“He is the blueprint and the role model for me,” Amen said of his older brother. “Growing up in Oakland, my family tried to keep me away from certain things, and he was a big part of that because he went through that stuff. Seeing where he was able to get in basketball made me believe that I could do anything.”

 

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