With AI, it's shaping our entire world.
So for sports now, it's
such a new thing and it hasn't been done yet.
So I said, you know,
this is my opportunity to grab the bull by
its horn and kind of be
the first person to pioneer to do it.
Welcome to another episode
of Nasdaq's The Winning Formula,
presented by the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team.
I am your host, Joel Kilani,
and we have a very special guest today NBA champion,
veteran and Web3 ambassador
and enthusiast Tristan Thompson.
Thank you so much for being here with us.
Thank you for having me.
Absolutely. I want to kind of start
with you being a Web3 ambassador and an expert.
What kind of sparked the initial interest in the space?
Does it have anything to do with how you
start to think about your career,
what you would do outside of basketball?
And like, where has that brought you to today?
Now being not just an expert,
but someone that's speaking on this subject so
broadly at conferences and elsewhere?
Yeah, I know for me, you know,
I've always been the guy in the locker
room being the elder statesman,
always been about financial issues.
I think the reality of athletes, you know,
you get such a small time window and time frame
to be in a position that you're in.
And obviously, you know, everyone
knows horror stories that happen in sports.
So for me, it was always a it was
kind of a onus to to really educate myself,
but then be able to pay it forward, right,
to, to limit the amount of hardship that players
go through with their family and
kind of just walk them the right way.
But, um, understanding Web3 and blockchain and that,
that financial side of it,
uh, is another form of finance.
You know, I think that's going to be the future.
And obviously, you see, with, uh,
what's going on with the administration,
whether it's the, the genius, uh, act being passed,
the bat bill being passed, which is
a huge thing for our economy,
but also for the Web3 space,
migrating it into web2,
which is our everyday life.
If I'm gonna give the advice, I got
to know the full spectrum, right?
You can't give somebody advice,
but only know half of it, right?
You got to know the whole thing
or don't say nothing at all.
So for me, it's been a I take a lot of
ownership and ownership to that to be
able to pay forward and kind
of just give that financial literacy
to my peers and the younger generation.
What do you now see for the outlook going forward,
giving everything you've learned already so far
and what you're continuing to kind of invest in.
No, it's super exciting. I think for myself,
especially in the space, just because it's so new.
I mean, I looked at a stat yesterday only, you know,
6.3% of humans actually
own some form of digital currency, right?
So that just tells you how early it still is, right?
Even with the numbers and what the charts are
saying and and all that,
that means there's a lot of room for growth
and for this space to migrate.
You know, I always look at being
like the bridge, the gap, right?
Even for myself and my career,
I always play it back to sports.
My role and my added value
on a team with the Cavs was kind of being the bridge,
the gap between the players and the coaches, right?
Just because I have the years,
I have the experience and I have,
you know, won a championship right
at the highest level. I've been at the mountaintop.
So, you know, it's no
different than in the financial industry,
in the in the Web3 industry being the bridge,
the gap from, you know,
the Web3 to Web2 and migraine,
because I think they both play hand in
hand and for, you know,
our economy and our country to stay at the top of it,
from the from the financial side of
that migration has to happen sooner than later.
Another area of interest for you.
You know, beyond the Web3 world, obviously,
in the world of like the things that you kind of spend
your energy on in the off season is also the AI space.
And you particularly happen
to be the chief content officer,
uh, at AI as well.
Can you kind of explain to us, hey, how that came about,
but also be where you think the next level of stat,
uh, tracking and analysis for
both the fan and teams is going?
Being a basketball player, it's
always had the builder's mentality, right?
You kind of work hard to get to this level.
You work hard to get to college,
work hard to get to the NBA.
You know, you work hard to win a championship, right?
So it's no different than your off the court,
uh, you know, ventures.
Right. So for me, being in the space,
I wanted to build something
that can relate back to my world,
which is obviously the low hanging fruit
is the NBA and sports.
So with Tracy AI, um,
it's like we said,
you know, having stats at the palm of your hands,
but more advanced analytics, right?
You know, obviously anyone could go on NBA.com or ESPN,
but those are just very generic points
per game field goal percentage.
But like let's take it to another step further.
Right? I think the reason
why sports and live sports is so
important to society in the form of
entertainment is because everybody wants that 1%.
Everybody wants to be in the locker room, right?
So how are we able to give
that access to to the local fans,
where they feel like they get the same information
that we're getting in terms of advanced analytics?
And, you know, with AI,
it's it's shaping our entire world,
whether it's Amazon hiring,
using AI to hire people,
whether it's AI doing music, art.
So for sports now, it's
such a new thing and it hasn't been done yet.
So I said, you know,
this is my opportunity to grab the bull by
its horn and kind of be
the first person to pioneer to do this.
And let me ask you a question, because you'd be uniquely,
I think, positioned to answer this.
You obviously came in in
the 2011 draft very different NBA than we are.
And now it's grown significantly in great ways.
How, in your perspective,
have you seen the idea of
stat like stat analysis evolve in the past few years?
I think advanced analytics since like
the Daryl Morey school with
the rockets of just like
offense and pace like these new stats,
I don't think they existed in 2008 910.
Have you seen that get incorporated
to strategy tactics as a player.
Now, compared to when you came into the league,
has it evolved tremendously?
Yeah, most definitely. When I first got
into the league, I mean, you know,
most stats are just, you know,
points per game, rebounds per game.
But now it's more, you know,
clutch type performance or what are guys efficiency rate
going left with guys that are guarding him at six five.
Right. So easy example I think where people can
understand I always like to tie
it back to sports in a story.
Right. Yeah. You know Anthony Edwards when he's
going left driving to the rim him finishing left.
He finishes 70% of the time around the rim going left.
But going right he's around 40% right.
So those advanced analytics in terms of
knowing how guys finishing rate is
better compared from left hand to
right hand or just knowing
guys points per possession
in different key moments of the game.
Right. You know in the fourth quarter
Jalen Brunson is one of the, you know,
the best clutch time players in
our league because he's able to get to his spots.
But his points per possession jumped
significantly in the fourth quarter
compared to the first three quarters.
Right. And those stats are so advanced.
But having that at the palm
of your hands for the average fan,
it just brings more fan engagement
and it grows the game of basketball.
Mhm. And would you say Also you've
seen that like go into tactics.
Now you were seeing these stats get applied
directly into coaching play,
making in-game adjustments
like you're seeing these stats.
Now get applied these advanced stats.
Yeah most definitely. Even if you watch the NBA finals.
Right. Um, game six and seven
when Indiana was guarding OKC they started doubling Shea.
Right. So the analytics showed that,
you know, when Shea is being guarded one on one,
his points per possession is about 1.9,
which if you look at
rankings because I think numbers are just
numbers I think for
the average consumer it's about where does it rank.
So they can actually visualize and
understand how good that number is.
So within points per possession,
he's top three in the NBA,
which means more times than not if
he's being guarded one on one he's going to score.
So what you got to make adjustments.
So coaching having those advanced analytics
that will double team for somebody
else to beat them right.
So I think that's how the game is progressing.
And I think with tech integrating with
sports and AI being another vessel.
Right. I think yes,
we'll AI maybe make people's jobs easier and
maybe could it potentially
maybe have less people on staff potentially.
But I think I view it more as becoming
a more reliable asset to help the game grow,
but also help fan engagement in the audience grow.
Yeah, and that's exciting.
You know, just to think about how these stats can also do
something like AI be accessible to fans live now.
Like they can see all of
these things in real time and almost put their minds
in almost the minds of a coach or someone who's like
a floor general and learn all those things.
I think there's also been
an evolution in financial literacy
and understanding of what you should do with your money,
what you can do with your money,
what it means to get a second contract.
Do you feel like now, obviously you're a rookie in
2011 and now you're obviously a vet?
Have you seen a change and
a shift in the right direction of
understanding from even young players that
you see of financial literacy,
what to do with their money?
Are you seeing folks think more about
business ventures and investing now,
compared to when you first came in the league?
From being a rookie till now,
I think guys have had more so of
the business mentality off the court and not just be,
you know, the whole narrative, the whole
shut up and dribble mentality.
I think unfortunately,
the OGs and the veterans before us,
you know, they only knew what they knew, right?
And I think they were also not given that
that access to open
their minds and broaden their horizon.
I think for us and the NBA has
done such a good job providing
these player programs where guys are understanding
when they do get that second contract,
what to do with it, right?
Like put your money in a money market and make, you know,
between 4 and 4.5%? Yeah, that's cool.
But there's other avenues and ventures where, you know,
whether it's on the VC side
or or getting an early start up.
There's other ways to create
that cushion where you can make your money grow.
Right? Because at the end of the day,
the reality of life is never enough, right?
So you want to feel like, how
can I turn this into something
else to just help the generation, your family.
Right. So I think guys are having
more of that business mind mindset.
And for me, you know,
just just using what I've went through in life and my
experiences to help put
it on the table and challenge guys,
I think it's more of a challenge,
guys, to want more.
And, you know, I have teammates
that ask me more about Web3 now
and and the AI space
because they understand especially, you know,
when you build this kind of sweat equity and respect from
your teammates and from an organization perspective,
they understand whatever you do
or put your name behind is going to be something good.
So, um, for me,
that's kind of been the mindset.
I love that and it's it's cool now to see, you know,
you got a lot of your kind of
publicity with all those playoff runs with,
with Brian, obviously, and you were on TV and you were
always seen as like the young player at that time,
but now you've like evolved into like full vet,
like now they're coming to you for advice.
It's like great to see that progression.
So on that subject, in terms of longevity,
was there a point in time when you got
in the league where you were like, you know,
I feel like at this moment
I knew I was going to be here for a while,
because obviously as soon as you get drafted,
you know, it's a blur of emotions
and feelings and you have
your practices and your first games
and maybe the games moving really fast for you.
Was there a moment where you're like, okay,
I'm getting used to the game slowing down for me.
I'm understanding my role.
I'm understanding where I'm most impactful,
and now I can tell I can be here
for a long time if I get good at these things.
Yeah, I think the toughest thing for
players is understanding what their niche is, right.
What's going to keep you in NBA, right?
Everyone from high school to college.
You're the man, right? You're the best player
in the McDonald's All-American.
You're the best in your your town,
your state, all that stuff.
Right. But when you get to the NBA,
the the problem that guys run into is that
they don't or they can't figure out,
how can I be a valuable asset to
a team where I'm not replaceable?
And I think for myself,
it was around my third year in the league.
I understood what I was able to do.
They weren't able to replicate.
Right. So which for me was more
so compete at the highest level, you know, rebounding,
being able to guard one through five,
being one of the smartest guys on the court that knows
everyone's positions and know the game plan.
Right. Because I think the body can only do so much.
But the mind is the most powerful thing.
And especially as guys get older in their career,
they realize that this is what's going to
keep them here for a long time.
It doesn't give you that longevity.
So, you know, it's my third year.
And obviously with Bron coming back to Cleveland,
it um it kind of
enhanced that because at that at that point,
you know you're playing with the best player
to ever play this game.
You want to be part of
his journey and legacy to come help him,
you know, fill out and kind of get that championship.
But he's always promised to Northeast Ohio.
So for me, that's when it kind of clicked.
And that's why I'm here,
you know, 14 years in and keeping it going,
because I understand who I am and
the guys that kind of fall short or,
you know, don't get as much as they
think they should because they haven't figured it out.
So, you know, for me,
as a veteran, I kind of just help guys with that too.
It's a fascinating perspective because I
always see fans talk about wow,
like I just saw so and so
summer league highlights or high school highlights.
And they were dropping like 30 a game.
And they're a defensive
like it doesn't click to them that this person was
the best in their school or the
best elsewhere like they're Draymond Green.
Highlights of him dropping 30 in Summerlin.
People are like why is he only dropping eight?
And they don't understand that what you're talking about,
it's a maturity of around how can I
best help the team regardless.
And that's what's going to keep me here.
We'll go into our segment.
It's called Final Lap,
presented by the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team,
where we ask fans submitted questions.
This is probably one that's obvious,
but there's a series that you
overcame that you're not sure how you won,
but you did overcome and you did win.
Is there a series like that that
burns in your mind, a playoff series?
I think I might know which one it might be,
but it's probably the most legendary comeback
of all time if it is that series,
what was the mentality as the series was progressing and
was the positivity from the beginning to
the end always there when you
finally got to the mountaintop?
Yeah, we have to do the three one series comeback.
I mean, I think it's probably the best comebacks in
NBA history till this day, right?
So I think for us going into that series,
we felt like we could win right? At the end of the day.
You know, Golden State was what,
73 nine best record
in regular season record in NBA all time.
But um, you know us going down three one.
It never really dawned on
us that you know that
we couldn't win the series though, right?
Obviously it's a tough hurdle and you can't
afford no mistakes now when you're down three one.
But for us I think it brought us closer together.
But I think the reason why we were able to
come back was how close our team was,
because we had a group chat and literally,
you know, Bron put in there, he's like,
yo, if you don't think we can win,
don't come on the plane.
Like don't show up to work. And that's some real,
that's that's real, that's real.
Because I think whenever you leave home from work,
everyone's going to be in your ear and talk.
You know, you have your own crew and
they're going to say whatever they want to say.
So, you know, for us,
we knew like the only way we're going to get through this
and get to where we need to get to and
achieve our goal is from within.
Right? Because we're the ones going to be on the court.
Put our blood, sweat and tears.
You know, the front office can't
help you. Coaches can't help you.
It's just on us as a players.
And we understood that.
And we kind of just took that opportunity.
And you know, granted,
I think they poked the bear a little bit with
Bron and Kyrie with their comments.
Uh, with some of the players on
Golden State to kind of wake up
the Sleeping Giant and
they kind of found out the hard way.
What made those teams so challenging to begin with,
those prime like Golden State teams that,
uh, obviously you went to battle
with so much, was it the movement?
Was it the off ball movement? Was it the coaching?
Like what was the area that you
felt like you overcame it but
was most difficult that
made them such a challenging opponent?
I mean, I think Steph and Klay kind
of revolutionized the game.
I think the game goes through different trends, right?
Like the 90s was like the big man era, right.
You had your Pat Ewing,
your Olajuwon, your David Robinson.
So it was just like back to the basket.
Right. And then the early 2000
was kind of like, you know,
your AI Steve Francis was just guards but mid-range guys.
Right? And I think with Steph
and Klay they changed the game.
Right. I mean, they really made kids go from
trying to dunk the ball to
see how far they can shoot threes.
Right. So the way that Golden State played
was that they played high paced basketball,
but also they shot a lot of threes.
You know they were shooting about 40 to 53 per game.
At that time. That was crazy.
That was crazy. Like think about Reggie Miller.
Like he only shot like five threes a game.
Steph and Klay would shoot five threes each per quarter.
Put that in perspective right.
So you know they just changed the game.
But it was the possessions right.
And they were able to shoot from deep.
It wasn't just like they could just make threes.
They can make threes from anywhere on
the court I mean listen when Steph
gets to the half court people
get nervous when he shoots threes.
Right. So um for us it
was really trying to slow the game down.
And that's what we knew our advantage was right.
We couldn't shoot as well as them,
but we could guard and slow the game down
because we had our guys like
LeBron who could score in the half court.
Kevin Love Kyrie can score anywhere.
So we slowed the possession game down,
which worked in our favor,
which limited them amount of threes they
can take and how quick they can play.
Love that. And I mean it worked in the end right.
But so congratulations.
And you mentioned Bron greatest player
of all time in your opinion.
Do you have a top 3 or 4
in your own head or not really. Or is it like.
No I have a top. Oh I'm a top of all time.
Yeah, yeah. So I have Bronn at one.
Yeah I have uh MJD two.
Yeah I have Colby.
Uh you know God rest his soul.
I have him at three and then my
fourth you know and this is
just probably because my opinion.
But I got Shaq right I think Shaq's
probably the most dominant.
I mean think about a guy shot 50% from
the free throw line in top five in scoring all time.
That just shows you how dominant he is, right?
Like, it's like he left a lot of
points on the board and he says it himself.
So it's like um, he just couldn't be stopped.
Do you feel like Shaq was somebody
when you were coming up as a big man,
that you actually watched him and
maybe saw and took notes from?
It's like, oh, this is someone who's dying
because he's dominating in the late 90s,
2000, you would be growing up and playing at that time,
considering you were drafted ten years later,
is that someone that you feel like you've modeled
some of your game around or was like, you know,
this is a person that as a big man that
I would want to replicate that dominance if I could.
I mean, first of all, let's be real.
Thank God I had to play
against him because it was huge.
I mean, I wish I could play against Shaq,
but then I wish I didn't have the garden.
Right. So. Right. Okay. Um, no.
But his dominance, me growing up as a kid,
like you always wanted to be a force,
especially me being a center and
always being the biggest guy on the team like.
You want to be like that dog and that like that.
That bull where no one can mess with you
and you kind of protect the paint.
Right? And Shaq did that at the highest level.
Um, so he definitely kind of, you know,
sparked in terms of my hunger and just,
you know, wanting to just be that guy.
When you come in the paint you're going to feel this.
Mhm. I love that.
And so when you came in to even after
the toughest offensive players you've had to
guard in your opinion it could
be someone that's underrated,
someone who wasn't maybe always
an all star but someone you were like, man,
I can't predict the movement or like they're good with
either hand or whoever it is.
Like, I can't like whether it's a big body, like,
are there folks that maybe
underrated or not that you felt like,
you know, throughout my career we had some good battles,
but they gave me problems.
Yeah. I mean, the name of the game.
And no one's expecting me to say this because
whenever I say it, people are like, really?
It was Marc Gasol. He was like,
I always tell Marc Gasol with the Grizzlies.
Yeah, he was like my first three years I
just couldn't figure it out because he was seven foot.
But he can also shoot it. He could pass really well.
But he was also really had
really good footwork in the post.
So he always gave me fits.
And it was like you know people always ask like,
what about like, you know,
DeMarcus Cousins and Z-bo and like,
these guys are all great and all stars.
But it was like there's something about Mark.
The way he played would just
always throw me off because you know,
I'm more of a, you know, a physical defender.
But I also have good footwork.
Like in the NBA, most guys that are
physical defenders can't move their feet.
But I can do both. And that's kind of
why I've been able to play for so long,
because it's I have the strength for the strong guys,
but I also can move my feet
well enough for the quicker bigs.
Yeah, but for Mark,
it just couldn't figure him out.
He just had so much other tricks in his trick bag.
So it was just like a headache.
But thank you know thank God he was in
the Western Conference playing twice a year.
So I was lucky.
That's crazy. Well listen
Tristan's been a great conversation.
Thank you so much.
Uh, we'll definitely try to talk to you soon.
Absolutely. Thank you for joining us today.
Appreciate it. Thanks for having me on.
Absolutely. So that was another episode of
the winning formula presented by
the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team.
I'm your host, Joel Kilani.
We'll see you next time.