Dijon Lynn Thompson (born February 23, 1983) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who played briefly in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). While he played mainly at the

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...

position in his early career, he also played as a

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...

during his European years.

College

Thompson was a standout at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

(UCLA), having an all-time scoring average of 15.6 points per game including 18.4 as a junior. He scored a career-high 39 points against Arizona State on February 10, 2005. Thompson declared for the

NBA draft The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...

after the conclusion of his junior year, but withdrew to return for his senior season. That year he led the Bruins to the NCAA Tournament after a two-year absence.

NBA

Thompson was chosen by the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

in the second round of the

2005 NBA draft The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players fro ...

(54th pick overall). Soon afterward he was traded along with

forward-center Forward–center is a basketball basketball positions, position for players who play or have played both Basketball positions#Frontcourt (forwards and center), forward and center (basketball), center on a consistent basis. Typically, this means ...

Kurt Thomas to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

, in exchange for guard Quentin Richardson, the draft rights to guard

Nate Robinson Nathaniel Cornelius Robinson (born May 31, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Seattle, Robinson played college basketball for the University of Washington in Seattle and was the 21st pick in the 2005 NBA draft. ...

and cash considerations. On November 4, 2005, the Suns assigned him to the Albuquerque Thunderbirds of the NBA D-League where he averaged 17.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in three games. The Suns made him the first player of the season recalled from the D-League on November 26, after Leandro Barbosa suffered a knee injury. On March 10, 2006, Thompson underwent microfracture surgery on his right

knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

, causing him to sit out the rest of the season. By June 23, it was announced that the Suns were not picking up Thompson's player-option for his second season making him a free-agent. On October 2, 2006, the Golden State Warriors invited Thompson to their training camp, however, he was cut by the team just a week later on October 11. On November 27, 2006, Thompson was reacquired by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds and made an immediate impact by averaging 20.8 points and 9.8 rebounds during his first five games. On December 11, Thompson was named the D-League Performer of the Week. On January 6, 2007, Thompson was signed to a 10-day contract by the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

while forward Josh Smith recovered from a

hernia A hernia (: hernias or herniae, from Latin, meaning 'rupture') is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ (anatomy), organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. The term is also used for the normal Devel ...

operation. The Hawks renewed for a second 10-day contract, on January 16, with Thompson averaging 2.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 8.3 minutes in six games. Upon his return to the D-League, Thompson scored 14 points in the 2007 NBA D-League All-Star Game in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

on February 19, 2007. He finished the year leading the Thunderbirds franchise to a playoff berth, though, they lost in the first round. Thompson was named All-NBA Development League Honorable Mention Team for the 2006–07 season.

European career

On July 27, 2007, Thompson signed a one-year contract with

Alba Berlin Alba Berlin is a professional basketball club that is based in Berlin, Germany. The club was founded in 1991, and is today the largest German national basketball club by membership figures. Alba Berlin hosts its home games at the Uber Arena and c ...

. ALBA and Thompson agreed to part ways in May 2008. On June 10, 2008, Thompson signed a contract with Azovmash Mariupol. On September 4, 2009, Thompson signed a 2-year contract with Hapoel Jerusalem. He played the 2010–11 season for Spartak Saint Petersburg in the

Russian Professional Basketball League The Professional Basketball League (), often abbreviated to the RPBL, was the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Russia, and the successor to the Russian Basketball Super League 1, Russian Super League 1, which is now the second- ...

. In July 2011 he signed a one-year contract with ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. In September 2012, he signed with

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət, t=Lower Newtown; colloquially shortened to Nizhny) is a city and the administrative centre of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast an ...

of the

. He was named to the All-EuroCup First Team in 2014. On February 17, 2015, Thompson signed a half-year contract with Hapoel Tel Aviv. On June 22, 2016, Thompson signed a one-year contract with AEL Larnaca in Cyprus.

References

External links