Dijon Lynn Thompson (born February 23, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player who played briefly in the National Basketball Association (NBA). While he played mainly at the shooting guard position in his early career, he also played as a small forward during his European years.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 23, 1983 Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, California) |
| College | UCLA (2001–2005) |
| NBA draft | 2005: 2nd round, 54th overall pick |
| Selected by the New York Knicks | |
| Playing career | 2005–2018 |
| Position | Shooting guard / small forward |
| Number | 1, 7 |
| Career history | |
| 2005–2006 | Phoenix Suns |
| 2005–2006 | Albuquerque Thunderbirds |
| 2007 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 2007–2008 | ALBA Berlin |
| 2008–2009 | Azovmash Mariupol |
| 2009–2010 | Hapoel Jerusalem |
| 2010–2011 | Spartak St. Petersburg |
| 2011–2012 | ASVEL Basket |
| 2012–2014 | Nizhny Novgorod |
| 2014 | Saigon Heat |
| 2015 | Hapoel Tel Aviv |
| 2016 | Petrolina AEK Larnaca |
| 2016–2017 | Hapoel Jerusalem |
| 2017 | Nizhny Novgorod |
| 2017–2018 | Ferro Carril Oeste |
| 2018 | Levanga Hokkaido |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
College
editThompson was a standout at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), having an all-time scoring average of 15.6 points per game including 18.4 as a junior. He scored a career-high 39 points against Arizona State on February 10, 2005.[1]
Thompson declared for the NBA draft after the conclusion of his junior year, but withdrew to return for his senior season. That year he led the Bruins to the NCAA Tournament after a two-year absence.
NBA
editThompson was chosen by the New York Knicks in the second round of the 2005 NBA draft (54th pick overall). Soon afterward he was traded along with forward-center Kurt Thomas to the Phoenix Suns, in exchange for guard Quentin Richardson, the draft rights to guard Nate Robinson and cash considerations.
On November 4, 2005, the Suns assigned him to the Albuquerque Thunderbirds of the NBA D-League where he averaged 17.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in three games. The Suns made him the first player of the season recalled from the D-League on November 26,[2] after Leandro Barbosa suffered a knee injury.
On March 10, 2006, Thompson underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee, causing him to sit out the rest of the season.[3] By June 23, it was announced that the Suns were not picking up Thompson's player-option for his second season making him a free-agent. [4]
On October 2, 2006, the Golden State Warriors invited Thompson to their training camp,[5] however, he was cut by the team just a week later on October 11.[6]
On November 27, 2006, Thompson was reacquired by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds and made an immediate impact by averaging 20.8 points and 9.8 rebounds during his first five games. On December 11, Thompson was named the D-League Performer of the Week.[7]
On January 6, 2007, Thompson was signed to a 10-day contract by the Atlanta Hawks while forward Josh Smith recovered from a hernia operation.[8] The Hawks renewed for a second 10-day contract, on January 16, with Thompson averaging 2.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 8.3 minutes in six games.[9] Upon his return to the D-League, Thompson scored 14 points in the 2007 NBA D-League All-Star Game in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 19, 2007.[10] He finished the year leading the Thunderbirds franchise to a playoff berth, though, they lost in the first round.[11]
Thompson was named All-NBA Development League Honorable Mention Team for the 2006–07 season.[12]
European career
editOn July 27, 2007, Thompson signed a one-year contract with Alba Berlin.[13] ALBA and Thompson agreed to part ways in May 2008.[14][15]
On June 10, 2008, Thompson signed a contract with Azovmash Mariupol.[16]
On September 4, 2009, Thompson signed a 2-year contract with Hapoel Jerusalem.[17]
He played the 2010–11 season for Spartak Saint Petersburg in the Russian Professional Basketball League.
In July 2011 he signed a one-year contract with ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne in France.[18]
In September 2012, he signed with Nizhny Novgorod of the Russian Professional Basketball League.[19] He was named to the All-EuroCup First Team in 2014.[20]
On February 17, 2015, Thompson signed a half-year contract with Hapoel Tel Aviv.[21]
On June 22, 2016, Thompson signed a one-year contract with AEL Larnaca in Cyprus.[22]
References
edit- ^ Arizona State Sun Devils vs. UCLA Bruins - Recap - February 10, 2005 - ESPN
- ^ D-League Humbles Thompson
- ^ Player Profile
- ^ Phoenix Will Not Pick Up Option On Dijon Thompson
- ^ Warriors Invite Dijon Thompson and Anthony Roberson to Training Camp
- ^ Warriors Cut Dijon Thompson
- ^ D-League Performer of the Week, December 11, 2006
- ^ Hawks sign Thompson to 10-day contract Archived 2014-06-27 at archive.today
- ^ Hawks Sign Former D-Leaguer Thompson to Second 10-Day Contract Archived 2014-06-27 at archive.today
- ^ Thunderbirds: Thompson Takes Steps Toward NBA Return
- ^ T-Birds' Repeat Bid Doused by Colorado 14ers Roll Over Defending Champs
- ^ D-League Announces 2006-07 GATORADE All-League Selections Archived 2016-06-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ALBA acquires Dijon Thompson and Dragan Dojcin; Koko Archibong leaves Berlin. Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine (in German)
- ^ Dijon Thompson and ALBA Berlin part ways Archived 2013-01-17 at archive.today
- ^ Geschäftsführer Baldi stellt sich vor Trainer Pavicevic (in German)
- ^ Azovmash lands Thompson, Rizvic
- ^ "Israel Basketball, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards - eurobasket".
- ^ Asvel Baskets adds versatile forward Thompson
- ^ "Dijon Thompson moves to Nizhny Novgorod". Sportando.net. September 4, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
- ^ "2013-14 All-Eurocup First, Second teams named". Eurocupbasketball.com. April 25, 2014. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
- ^ "Dijon Thompson signs with Hapoel Tel Aviv". Sportando.com. February 17, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
- ^ "ΠΕΤΡΟΛΙΝΑ ΑΕΚ: ΥΠΕΓΡΑΨΕ Ο DIJON THOMPSON". Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
External links
edit- Career statistics from NBA.com and Basketball Reference