Darius Thompson

Darius Jamar Thompson (born May 4, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and the EuroLeague. Standing at 193 cm (6 ft 4 in), he plays at the point guard position.

Darius Thompson
Darius Thompson in 2023
No. 13 – Anadolu Efes
PositionPoint guard
LeagueBSL
EuroLeague
Personal information
Born (1995-05-04) May 4, 1995
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
NationalityAmerican
Listed height1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Listed weight89 kg (196 lb)
Career information
High schoolBlackman
(Murfreesboro, Tennessee)
College
NBA draft2017: undrafted
Playing career2017–present
Career history
2017–2019ZZ Leiden
2019–2021Brindisi
2021–2022Lokomotiv Kuban
2022–2023Baskonia
2023–presentAnadolu Efes
Career highlights and awards

Early life

Thompson was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and is the son of Lonnie Thompson, who played basketball for Middle Tennessee State, and Felicia Thompson.[1]

Playing for Blackman High School, Thompson was an 2013 McDonald's All-American Game nominee and was ranked the no. 4 best combo guard in the country by 247Sports.com. In his senior year with Blackman, he averaged 16.4 points and 6.4 assists.[1]

Professional career

ZZ Leiden

In August 2017, Thompson signed a one-year contract with ZZ Leiden of the Dutch Basketball League (DBL) and FIBA Europe Cup.[2] On October 27, 2017, Thompson scored 32 points in a 73–78 win over Den Helder Suns.[3] On November 7, Thompson led Leiden to a win over Sakarya BB in the FIBA Europe Cup by scoring 36 points.[4] On March 31, Thompson won the NBB Cup with Leiden, after scoring 25 points in the final.[5] On April 24, 2019, Thompson won the DBL Most Valuable Player award.[6]

Brindisi

On July 23, 2019, Thompson signed a one-year contract with an option for a second season with Happy Casa Brindisi of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and Basketball Champions League (BCL).[7]

Lokomotiv Kuban

On July 1, 2021, Thompson left Brindisi after two years and signed in the VTB United League for the Russian team Lokomotiv Kuban.[8] He left the team after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[9]However he said that participation in this team was pleasant.

Baskonia

On August 12, 2022, Thompson signed a two-year (1+1) contract with Baskonia of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague.[10]

Thompson had a breakout season in 2022-23 with Baskonia. He led the EuroLeague in assists per game (averaging 6.7 per game) and was named to the All-EuroLeague Second Team.[11] Thompson was also voted the Best Newcomer by the EuroLeague Players' Association (ELPA).[12]

On July 7, 2023, Thompson parted ways with the Spanish club.

Anadolu Efes

On July 7, 2023, Thompson signed a three-year (2+1) contract with Turkish powerhouse Anadolu Efes, where he replaced star point guard Vasilije Micić who left the club for the Oklahoma City Thunder.[13]

National team career

Thompson has been recruited by the Italy national team, as he is eligible for an Italian passport because of his Italian wife.[14]

Honors
ZZ Leiden

References
  1. "Darius Thompson - Men's Basketball". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  2. "Darius Thompson naar ZZ Leiden". Unity NU is de nieuwssite voor de regio Leiden [www.unity.nu]. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  3. "Incompleet ZZ Leiden pakt winst". basketballleague.nl. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  4. "Het mirakel van de Vijf Meihal". basketballleague.nl. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  5. "Basketballers ZZ Leiden veroveren nationale beker". nos.nl. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  6. "Darius Thompson is MVP van de DBL". basketballleague.nl. Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  7. "Il top scorer Darius Thompson alla corte della Happy Casa Brindisi". July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  8. ""Локо" подписал контракт с Дариусом Томпсоном" (in Russian). lokobasket.com. July 1, 2021.
  9. "Leave or stay: American players in Russia". basketnews.com.
  10. "Baskonia signs Darius Thompson". Sportando. August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  11. "Here is your 2022-23 All-EuroLeague Second Team! | EuroLeague". Euroleague Basketball. May 15, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  12. "Darius Thompson being voted "Best Newcomer" by ELPA Players". Eurohoops. June 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  13. "Darius Thompson will replace Vasilije Micic in Efes". basketnews.com. July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  14. "Italian national team calling Darius Thompson with Milan watching". Eurohoops. June 26, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
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