Tristan Thompson appears to be transitioning from an NBA career to a burgeoning role in the cryptocurrency space. Once a regular in the league, despite his stature as a 6ft 9in center, his playtime has sharply declined, with only 40 appearances in the 2024-2025 season marking a significant downturn in his athletic career. However, Thompson is seizing the moment, pivoting to crypto investment and consultancy, and lending his presence as a brand ambassador to projects within the blockchain sector.
Thompson is now the host of a podcast titled Courtside Crypto, where he engages with high-profile figures in the crypto world, including notable appearances at events like the Nasdaq, where he celebrated the IPO of a Bitcoin mining company associated with nationalist themes. His ventures in the crypto market are set to expand further with the launch of a startup anticipated in 2026.
The crypto landscape has undergone a significant revival in 2025, particularly in Washington and Hollywood, where Thompson resides near the Kardashian family, some of whom have actively promoted cryptocurrency. Former President Donald Trump’s administration has played a role in this resurgence by rolling back regulatory actions that had previously hindered the industry, even introducing his own cryptocurrency, the $Trump token.
Thompson is among several former athletes getting involved in the crypto ecosystem. Lamar Odom has created a coin aimed at supporting addiction recovery, while boxing legend Mike Tyson promotes a trading platform that includes cryptocurrency offerings. Furthermore, celebrities like Iggy Azalea are also entering the space, with Azalea recently appointed as creative director of a new platform, Thrust, aimed at allowing celebrities to launch their own meme coins.
Azalea emphasized that the current trend among celebrities in the crypto space is more grounded than in previous years, acknowledging that public expectations have shifted towards more substantive and sustainable projects rather than fleeting promotional stunts. The market had previously seen a boom of celebrity endorsements, punctuated by high-profile incidents of fraud, including those involving major figures such as Tom Brady and Kim Kardashian, the latter of whom settled with the SEC over illegal promotions.
The past boom spurred a wave of legal scrutiny in the crypto world, leading to many celebrities distancing themselves from crypto promotions. The collapse of FTX, a leading crypto exchange, brought about a stringent regulatory climate under the previous administration, tainting public perception of celebrity involvement in cryptocurrencies. However, the current atmosphere suggests a cautious return to celebrity endorsements, albeit with a focus on meme coins rather than traditional cryptocurrencies.
Amid these developments, Donald Trump’s sentiment shift towards a more crypto-friendly environment has provided a fresh backdrop for Thompson’s endeavors. Trump has positioned himself as a crypto entrepreneur, using his influence to attract significant financial backing into his crypto ventures.
Amid ongoing insider trading allegations and insider gambling investigations within the NBA, Thompson underscores the importance of ethical engagement in the community, maintaining that athletes should not bet on games they participate in. His upcoming venture, Basketball.fun, aims to disrupt traditional sports betting by integrating prediction markets that allow users to trade player-based currencies, expanding the sports-watching experience.
Thompson’s admiration for Trump’s administration goes beyond just crypto. He argues that Trump’s policies, particularly regarding tariffs, resonate with historical economic cycles that can foster wealth creation domestically, indicative of a desire to influence U.S. economics positively.
As he forges his path in the crypto domain, Thompson’s narrative is emblematic of the evolving relationship between celebrity culture and emerging financial technologies, reflecting a renewed ambiguity of securities, personal branding, and market influence in the cryptocurrency landscape.
