During the 2023 NBA draft, which took place on Thursday night in Brooklyn, the United States, brothers Amen and Ausar Thompson were selected in consecutive rounds, making history inside Barclays Center.
Amen was selected by the Houston Rockets as the 4th overall, and Ausar was selected by the Detroit Pistons at No. 5. According to ESPN Stats & Information, they were the first brothers to be selected in the top five of the same draft since the merger of the ABA and NBA in 1976.
Together with Lonzo and LaMelo Ball, the Thompsons are the only brothers in modern history to have been selected in the top five of a draft.
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Amen stated following the announcement made by commissioner Adam Silver:
“I think it’s kind of cool going first. It means a lot to my family. “Me and Ausar, we were going to be happy whoever went first. But it means a lot to my family seeing all the hard work pay off. Us go back to back, be the first twins in the same draft to go top five, it means a lot.”
Their mother, Maya Wilson, also said,
“There are no words really to express how I’m feeling,” she told ESPN following the picks. “To see them back-to-back, that blows my mind. The world is just opening up to them. There’s not limit. So, I’m just very excited about what’s in store so just very, very happy.”
The identical twins won OTE titles while playing for the City Reapers in the Overtime Elite league. Amen will now join the Rockets, who finished 22-60 and ranked 27th and 29th, respectively, in terms of offensive and defensive efficiency (110.5).
Amen went on to say,
“Just being in the NBA, you know, playing with these athletic guys, I feel like my best brand of basketball is running and we’re a young team so that’s what we’re going to do”
Ausar will also attempt to assist Pistons team that went 17-65 this previous season and has gone 15 continuous seasons without at season finisher triumph, which is the longest dynamic dry spell in the league.
Jaden Ivey was selected by the Pistons at No. 5. Cade Cunningham is the No. 5 overall pick in 2022. 1 in 2021, and they recently hired Monty Williams, a former Coach of the Year for the Phoenix Suns.
“Super excited. I’m super excited to meet my coaches, meet my teammates and just grow with them,” Ausar said. “I’m trying to contend.”
Now that their lifelong goal of reaching the NBA is fulfilled, their father Troy Thompson shared his vision for their next chapter.
“The vision now is to become leaders on their team,” Troy said. “Obviously, being at least first-team All-Rookie and maybe compete for Rookie of the Year. We’ve got big ambitions.”
