Darius Thompson

Darius Thompson
Darius Jamar Thompson (born May 4, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and the EuroLeague. Standing at , he plays at the point guard position.
Early life
Thompson was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and is the son of Lonnie Thompson, who played basketball for Middle Tennessee State, and Felicia Thompson.
Playing for Blackman High School, Thompson was an 2013 McDonald's All-American Game nominee and was ranked the no. 4 best combo guard in the country by 247Sports.com. In his senior year with Blackman, he averaged 16.4 points and 6.4 assists.
College career
Professional career
ZZ Leiden
In August 2017, Thompson signed a one-year contract with ZZ Leiden of the Dutch Basketball League (DBL) and FIBA Europe Cup. On October 27, 2017, Thompson scored 32 points in a 73–78 win over Den Helder Suns. On November 7, Thompson led Leiden to a win over Sakarya BB in the FIBA Europe Cup by scoring 36 points. On March 31, Thompson won the NBB Cup with Leiden, after scoring 25 points in the final. On April 24, 2019, Thompson won the DBL Most Valuable Player award.
Brindisi
On July 23, 2019, Thompson signed a one-year contract with an option for a second season with Happy Casa Brindisi of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and Basketball Champions League (BCL).
Lokomotiv Kuban
On July 1, 2021, Thompson left Brindisi after two years and signed in the VTB United League for the Russian team Lokomotiv Kuban. He left the team after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.However he said that participation in this team was pleasant.
Baskonia
On August 12, 2022, Thompson signed a two-year (1+1) contract with Baskonia of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague.
Thompson had a breakout season in 2022-23 with Baskonia. He led the EuroLeague in assists per game (averaging 6.7 per game) and was named to the All-EuroLeague Second Team. Thompson was also voted the Best Newcomer by the EuroLeague Players' Association (ELPA).
On July 7, 2023, Thompson parted ways with the Spanish club.
Anadolu Efes
On July 7, 2023, Thompson signed a three-year (2+1) contract with Turkish powerhouse Anadolu Efes, where he replaced star point guard Vasilije Micić who left the club for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
National team career
Thompson has been recruited by the Italy national team, as he is eligible for an Italian passport because of his Italian wife.
Honors
ZZ Leiden
NBB Cup: 2018–19
DBL Most Valuable Player: 2018–19
All-DBL Team: 2018–19
DBL scoring leader: 2018–19
DBL Statistical Player of the Year: 2018–19
References
External links
Virginia Cavaliers bio
Tennessee Volunteers bio
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers bio
1995 births
Living people
American expatriate basketball people in Italy
American expatriate basketball people in the Netherlands
American expatriate basketball people in Russia
American expatriate basketball people in Spain
American expatriate basketball people in Turkey
American men's basketball players
Anadolu Efes S.K. players
Basketball players from Tennessee
B.S. Leiden players
Dutch Basketball League players
Lega Basket Serie A players
Liga ACB players
New Basket Brindisi players
PBC Lokomotiv-Kuban players
Point guards
Saski Baskonia players
Sportspeople from Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers basketball players
Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball players
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball players
ZZ Leiden players