Tristian Thompson: From NBA to Bitcoin, All IN!
Tristian Thompson has spent the last year building in crypto instead of launching a personal token. He co-created Basketball Fun, an on-chain fantasy basketball game backed by Somnia, launching before the NBA season. He expects Bitcoin to hit around $150k by year-end and is hunting for a C-suite role at a major company within six months.
Questions this video answers
About a year to a year and a half.
The week before the NBA season starts.
About $150,000 for BTC.
He would like to achieve that in the next six months ("maybe less").
Chapters
And hyen. Or you're being like, giving your flowers. Take the pliers while you can.
Because you've been, you know, you've been hanging around the crypto industry now for how long? About a year now?
Yeah. Yeah, about a year, year and a half. So it's been great. Yeah.
And you still haven't launched a dodgy token yet, so that's, you know, you're being very clean, you've been good. There's been a lot of celebrity tokens that have gone wrong over this year. So have you got any interest?
No, like I told you from day one, I'm not launching no token. I mean, for me, being the space, I'm here for the long term. I'm about building, of course, the financial literacy part behind it, building, being part of great projects and even investing. Right. You know, I think I'm in a position where I understand the space even more now compared to when I first started, where if I see something that I either believe or have some conviction that it can actually go and become something I would love to invest in. And for me, now, it's just about building that portfolio.
Absolutely. And can you tell us a bit more about what you're working on at the moment? Obviously, last night you had an event at Somnia. Yeah, yeah, sorry. Yeah, last night you had an event at. So I was hunching down.
Producers come.
Trust me, listen, been a big day.
I've been doing TV for a long time. No producers that come. So don't worry, don't worry.
You had an event last night, Somnia, you know, basketball, hoops, everything was going on. So what are you. What are you working on there?
Yeah, no. So myself and Somnia, we came together and launching a project called Basketball Fun, which is basically on chain fantasy basketball mixed with prediction market. But really the whole DNA about it is the fan engagement, the fan evolution, and really igniting and letting the fans determine the value of players on chain. From a fantasy prediction market perspective.
Absolutely. And when do you hope to launch this?
Yeah, my goal is to launch the week before the season starts, because I think especially from the fantasy betting side, you know, everyone kind of just does their fantasy basketball draft a week before the season starts. So I think it's the perfect time to fall in line around then, because you already have users already engaged in that mindset. So I want to get it going before the season starts.
Absolutely. And speaking of season starting, I mean, it does start pretty soon for you, right? I mean, you're at all these crypto Conferences around. I mean, what are the. What does the team think? Are they okay with you being cruising around?
Yeah, I understand. I mean, train can start till October, so they're fully aligned. And understand that, you know, like in the off season, Tristan is grinding. Tristan's doing other things, and I'm actually doing something that actually has a value. Right. This is another form of a digital finance where makes people proud to be like, damn, like, I could talk to this guy and he actually knows what's going on.
Absolutely. And have you tried to orange peel any of the other NBA players?
Of course, of course. I mean, guys are asking me all the time. They're on my Instagram right now wondering, like, what you're doing out there. And, you know, one thing they always ask me is like, what's the next play? I'm like, guys, guys, guys, let's start from the ground zero. Let me educate you guys the right way onboard you the right way. Because, you know, everyone sees the 100 XT gen's getting like, super rich and they're driving the Lambos and like, I just did a traded a shitcoin and I made a million dollars. My guys, we're gonna learn. We're do this the right way. We're gonna build. We're gonna build it from the ground up. Build a foundation. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong going to Las Vegas and getting a little crazy on pump fun and trading coins from all those launchpads. But let's. Let's build the foundation first.
Absolutely. And I guess someone in your position as well, having the celebrity status. I mean, there is that thing with crypto where you do really have to know the sphere and know what you get into and what projects you don't. Because you must get hit up a lot of the time. And I think this is really interesting for our readers is from celebrity point of view is what happens behind the scenes. Are you just getting hit up by projects all the time and you're like, no, this one dodgy, this one dodgy. I mean, how do you even know what's a dodgy project and what's a legitimate project when you're, you know, in your position? I mean, do you have to have a big team around you? Like, how does that work?
Well, you know, I've been very fortunate to have a lot of people that are in the space that are OGs, that have been in space for quite some time. I've had success, whether it's the Ryan Fangs of the world, whether it's you know, Olaf, whether it's other guys in the space. My one buddy Chris, he's from Korn. He originally started Badger. Now he has Korn, which is an L2. Like, I have a lot of people in the space that are OGs I can lean on, and I have a great team. And one thing about me, I'm the type of person, I'll ask questions and people are coming to me every day about different investments and partnerships. I'm like, first of all, let me see what your product is. First of all, do I even like it?
Yeah.
Do I even like it? Do I even like you as a human being? Because I think, forget whatever tech you're creating. If I can't mess with you as a human being, I don't really need to be in business with you. I bring it back to even, like the nitty gritty of just, like human interaction before anything. Let's get all that checks out. Then I go to my roller deck of people send it, get their opinions and ask, would you invest in this? And if they say, if the majority is no, then I might sit out. But don't get me wrong, there's been times where majority said don't invest, and something definitely ripped when it went tg. And I'm like, ah, crap. But, you know, it's part of the game. Nature of the game. Flush it, let it go on to the next.
Absolutely, Matt. And what about, you know, bitcoin price for. For this year? I mean, I know last time we spoke, I mean, we kind of worked out how much you missed out on bitcoin by taking your $82 million in cash as opposed to whatever it is now, 32 billion.
I would have had my own. I would have my own KBW convention with the amount of money I would have.
But TT Convention, 2025.
And we would do it in, like, Turks and Caicos or something. We're not the whole island.
So what are you thinking now? I mean, you know, times. You know, you're running against time now to make those. Those billions back. What is bitcoin going to hit this year?
We're in Q. We're basically entering Q4 right now. I think a conservative level. I'll say 150 others. I've heard people say 250. I've heard people say 175. I'll just say 150. I think 150k for Bitcoin. Ending the calendar year, a lot of you will be happy. Alt season will be all people that own altcoins. Those will rise as well. So everybody will be happy. So if BTC can get to 150, I think a lot of be a lot of people have great Christmas gifts.
I guess just to wrap it up. I mean a lot of people might want to know what's Tristan Thompson's end goal in crypto? Not the, not the answer everyone gives about, you know, I want to onboard the world to web3. But what is like your actual end goal? Like why are you so immersing yourself in crypto with, you know, the incredible sports career you've had now? What's drawn you to crypto so much?
I mean, I love the space, I love the financial side, but I think for me in this space, I wouldn't even say end goal. A goal I would love to achieve in the next six months, maybe less would be I would love to have, and I haven't said it to many people, this is kind of exclusive.
We're going to be exclusive. It's an exclusive.
Right. I'm in a position right now where I would really especially someone has the vision in terms of like onboarding, mass adoption, have an executive or C suite role with a big tier one high level company where like it's a real working, not an ambassador role but a real working title role and really be part of a company as a real like executive position or a C suite, whatever, see something. Right. And I think for me I would love to have a position like that to really get that stamp in this space because I think, you know, I have a reach but I think my reach can be even bigger having that, that stamp and that title behind a big, big time company or you know, so big players.
It's a full time role. Obviously you're looking beyond your NBA days or you know, alongside it. What do you.
I'm in a position right now where I've had a lot of success and the game of basketball has been great to me. But I'm a point right now where I am open if the opportunity was there and it made sense to go full time and really be part of a company, full basis, two feet in. So you got an exclusive today, right.
Now, an exclusive that's a shout out to every tier one.
Every, every tier one company.
It's better than LinkedIn.
Yeah. Tier one company. I am, I am.
He wants to be employed.
I want to have a real executive job or C suite job with a real big time tier. A company that has a vision like myself, that wants to make a change in this society.
Amazing. Well, thanks so much Tristan. I appreciate your time.
Thank you.
Cheers.
That's an exclusive right there.
That is an exclusive. And we're still probably live for another.
No, but I love it.
10 seconds. You can say it three more times.
