Jun 28, 2016
Thompson joins Canada for Rio qualifiers
The Canadian men's basketball team is getting some late help in its push to Rio. Cleveland.com's Chris Haynes reports that Cavaliers centre Tristan Thompson will join the team in time for next month's qualifiers in the Phillipines.
TSN.ca Staff
The Canadian men's basketball team is getting some late help in its push to Rio.
Cleveland.com's Chris Haynes reports that Cavaliers centre Tristan Thompson will join the team in time for next week's qualifiers in the Phillipines.
Thompson becomes the fourth NBA player on the roster, joining the Toronto Raptors' Cory Joseph, Tyler Ennis of the Milwaukee Bucks and the Detroit Pistons' Joel Anthony.
The 25-year-old native of Toronto chose not to play for Canada at the FIBA Americas last summer as he was in the midst of contract negotiations with the Cavs. He eventually signed a five-year, $82 million deal with the team last October.
Originally taken with the fourth-overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft out of Texas, Thompson appeared in all 82 games for the Cavs this season, averaging 7.9 points and 9.0 rebounds a night. He chipped in 6.7 points and 9.0 rebounds nightly in the playoffs as the Cavs captured the NBA title.
Canada will participate in Group A of qualifiers beginning on July 4 in Manila along with Turkey and Senegal. France, New Zealand and the Phillipines are in the other group.