In a shocking story of missed chances in the crypto world, NBA star Tristan Thompson loses $32B Bitcoin Bitcoin windfall in 2015 when he chose a traditional $82 million cash contract. He still regrets th,at decision today, as the value of Bitcoin has skyrocketed. As a long-time player for the Cleveland Cavaliers and a reality TV star, Thompson now thinks about how that payday could have turned into billions if it had been paid in BTC. This shows how quickly digital assets have changed in sports finance.
NBA star Tristan Thompson loses $32B Bitcoin
Tristan Thompson, an NBA player and reality TV star, received a $82 million deal in 2015. It seemed like a fantastic bargain at the time. But now that he’s a Bitcoiner, he fantasises about an alternative timeline in which the money was paid in BTC.
“What I know now, I would have definitely pushed to get paid in Bitcoin,” Thompson tells Magazine.
“It’d be so much, I’d be laughing and kicking, thinking, ‘This is the best gamble in American sports history,'” said the long-time cryptocurrency enthusiast.
On the day Thompson signed his $82 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers in October 2015, Bitcoin was trading at $270. If the money had been paid in Bitcoin, it would now be valued almost $31.75 billion. In reality, if he had spent even a little portion of his fee to purchase Bitcoin, he would be a millionaire by now.
Just don’t give Thompson the specific figures. “I’ve never looked,” says the 34-year-old, laughing.
I might be even more pissed after I calculate the numbers.”
8.2B people but only 21M bitcoin… Do the math.
— Tristan Thompson (@RealTristan13) April 14, 2025
Thompson is unsure whether he could have managed Bitcoin’s ups and downs.
However, Thompson is honest enough to confess that he is unsure if he would have been able to resist Bitcoin’s volatility during the last 10 years.
“Who knows if I took a contract in Bitcoin and then, when we had the bear market and when we had COVID-19 and everything plummeted, who knows?” He reflects.
Would I have the education and knowledge to withstand that storm? Obviously, now the things I know and the knowledge and power that I’ve gained over the years, of course.”
“I think everything has its time,” Thompson adds. Still, Bitcoin never fell below $270 after the transaction, so he wouldn’t have been worse off. Just nine months later, it had more than quadrupled to roughly $577, indicating that his $82 million might have already converted into almost $175 million. [That’s enough putting salt into the wound, Ed.]
Thompson, who still holds the Cavaliers’ record for most straight games played (447), has been getting more hands-on with cryptocurrency in a professional capacity.
He has his own crypto podcast, Courtside Crypto, is a brand ambassador for the cryptocurrency betting site Sportsbet.io, and is currently the primary consultant for TraceyAI, an AI agent based on Virtual Protocol that educates fans about basketball stats.
Thompson is attempting to orange-pill the NBA
Over the last several years, some US sportsmen have accepted all or part of their compensation in Bitcoin. Thompson “gives a lot of credit” to his buddy Odell Beckham Jr., an NFL star with the Los Angeles Rams, for choosing to earn his $750,000 salary in Bitcoin in 2021.
NBA players Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala also received a chunk of their pay in Bitcoin.
Thompson claims he’s been working to get other NBA players interested in Bitcoin.
Too many people hang on to the bad actors from years ago who ruined the image of crypto.
I like to think I’m part of the new group of creators, developers and innovators that are here to show everyone why web3 will change the world the same way the .com era did.
— Tristan Thompson (@RealTristan13) March 7, 2025
“What I always tell guys on my team, and maybe I’m just rambling a lot, but I just always tell guys on my team getting into crypto, the first thing you want to do is go to the OG, which is Bitcoin,” according to him.
“Because the way Bitcoin goes is a runaway; everything must follow. “It’s a head hunter,” he says.
Thomson confesses that he is enamoured with cryptocurrency. “I’m like a guy in the trenches,” Thompson states.
“I’m on Crypto Twitter like degenning and looking everything up,” he says with laughter.
Why Thompson will never create a “celeb memecoin”
Thompson compares his current stance on cryptocurrency to when he was draughted into the NBA by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011, at the age of 20.
“The way I’m entering the space is no different than me being a rookie in the NBA; for me, it’s about being part of the ecosystem,” Thompson told reporters.
Given his popularity and passion for cryptocurrency, developing a celebrity memecoin may seem to be the logical next step, but he is completely opposed to it.
“I would never want to launch a Tristan Thompson token,” he explains. “It always comes with a feeling like a dark cloud.”
#4 – Meme coins might be exciting, but they’re more like gambling. Crypto is about much more than chasing the next hype coin. Focus on building a bigger vision.
— Tristan Thompson (@RealTristan13) January 19, 2025
Thompson is fully aware that there are swindlers in the cryptocurrency market who would love to capitalise on his reputation.
“Whenever someone meets me, I already know if he’s just trying to make a token or drop a meme,” he tells me.
One thing my mother always taught me is that fast money is not good money.”
“I think, unfortunately, too many athletes or celebrities have come into this space and extracted and taken away instead of learning and becoming a vessel or becoming an asset to help the space grow,” according to Thompson.
Besides, Thompson doesn’t need the cash. He may not be a Bitcoin millionaire, but he’s doing well. “Not in an arrogant way, but I’ve made a lot of money, and I’ve done very well for myself in my playing career and off the court,” Thompson tells me.
My phone has been buzzing last two days with friends and family asking about crypto and whether they should buy $TRUMP. I’ve been deep in the crypto space and in the trenches for the past 10 months, working to make the most of this cycle as a major wealth opportunity.
— Tristan Thompson (@RealTristan13) January 19, 2025
Nonetheless, he supports memecoin trading and confesses he was disappointed that he did not invest in US President Donald Trump’s memecoin TRUMP coin when it was began in January.
Thompson reveals that he was out to dinner with another NBA player Anthony Edwards when the Trump coin was released, and he unfortunately missed the notice.
“The most frustrating aspect for me is that many of these tokens were locked. “About 80% were locked, so even if people get out, like early dumpers, the charts will still be fairly healthy,” he adds.
▾ ARTICLE SOURCES
We cite primary sources where possible and reputable publishers for context.
⚠️ Disclosure
