Ausar Thompson

About

Ausar XLNC Thompson ( ə-SAR EK-sə-lənss TOM-sən; born January 30, 2003) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played high school basketball for Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was rated a five-star recruit and won a state title alongside his twin brother Amen Thompson. He signed with development league Overtime Elite (OTE) out of high school; there, he won two straight OTE titles, earned Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice, and was named league MVP in 2023.
Thompson was selected fifth overall by the Pistons in the 2023 NBA draft. He was the NBA steals leader and made the NBA All-Defensive First Team in the 2025–26 NBA season.

Thompson was born to Maya Wilson and Troy Thompson and raised in San Leandro, California. He is of Jamaican descent through his father. His identical twin brother, Amen, was born one minute before him; they share the middle name “XLNC” (pronounced “excellence”). Thompson’s older brother, Troy Jr., played college basketball for Prairie View A&M. His uncle, Mark Thompson, represented Jamaica in 400-meter hurdles at the 1992 Summer Olympics…