Tristan Thompson Apologized To Cavs Teammates Before News Of Suspension Broke

Source: Michael Reaves / Getty

Tristan Thompson continues to make news for his questionable decisions on and off the basketball court. The Cleveland Cavaliers center does have a day job aside from his side hustle as a reality show star and two-time baby daddy to Khloe Kardashian. He’s currently on leave from that gig while serving out and unpaid 25-game suspension after testing positive for PED’s.

The NBA announced this week that the 32-year violated the terms of its Anti-Drug Program by testing positive for ibutamoren and SARM LGD-4033. These drugs are growth hormone and muscle enhancers respectively that help with recovery and muscle strength, but can have far-reaching side effects including congestive heart failure.

The 6’9 Canadian-born athlete is in his 14th season in the NBA where he’s played mostly for the Cavaliers with stints in Boston, Indiana, and Sacramento. Just a week ago, he was celebrating being part of the organization he won a championship with in 2016.

Thompson knew the suspension was coming down and apologized to his teammates in advance, according to a report per Cleveland.com. 

His speech was described as “powerful,” “passionate” and “moving” by his teammates when he addressed the team before their recent game in Orlando.

“Tough to see your brother go through that,” Donovan Mitchell told the outlet. “T.T. is my guy. He’s a hell of a person. We ride for our brother. People are going to say what they’re going to say but at the end of the day, he’s a human being.”

Mitchell added, “It takes a lot of courage to stand up there and speak in front of teammates and hold yourself accountable like that. I gained even more respect for him. A simple apology would have been fine. But he went and explained it. We will welcome him back when he comes back.”

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