Tristan Thompson does not just own Bitcoin. He evangelizes it. The NBA champion and Cleveland Cavaliers veteran says teammates have been calling him during the current season run asking wheth
Tristan Thompson does not just own Bitcoin. He evangelizes it. The NBA champion and Cleveland Cavaliers veteran says teammates have been calling him during the current season run asking whether they should buy. His answer is always the same.
"Buy every day, stack it, stack your digital gold," Thompson told the Hashing It Out podcast. "You don't want to be 70 and have your grandchildren say to you, Papa, you didn't buy more Bitcoin back when it was at $63,000."
Thompson's Bitcoin conviction is not built on price speculation. It is built on a simpler premise. "I don't own Bitcoin because I expect the dollar to fall," he said. "I own it because I expect the internet to keep winning."
Related: Elon Musk's AI warning about the dollar is starting to come true
His argument traces back to 2008, when the global financial system cracked and Bitcoin emerged as what he calls a Robin Hood figure for financial freedom.
He sees the US as still early in adoption compared to Asia and the Middle East, where crypto payments are already part of everyday commerce. Emirates, he points out, now accepts crypto for flights.
Thompson is not buying Bitcoin for a quick trade. He is buying for decades. His pitch to teammates focuses on one data point, Bitcoin's historical return.
"If you look through the last 14 years, it has appreciated by over 60 percent annually," he said. "Name a savings account that does that. You can't find it."
He also flagged the GENIUS Act and the potential passage of the CLARITY Act as catalysts that could unlock significantly more institutional capital into crypto.
"That's going to unlock so much more capital for everything on chain," he said.
Thompson's Bitcoin advocacy sits within a broader financial literacy mission he has taken on since transitioning from playing to investing.
He tells rookies to read their P&L statements and understand compounding. Bitcoin, in his view, is the most accessible on-ramp to that conversation, especially for communities that were never taught about wealth building.
"Play the long game," he said. "Don't worry about the price."
