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Cavaliers’ Tristan Thompson Changes Jersey Number To A Familiar One

The Cleveland big man has changed his jersey number to 13, which he wore during his first nine seasons with the team.

Logan Potosky

Cavaliers’ Tristan Thompson Changes Jersey Number To A Familiar One
Cavaliers’ Tristan Thompson Changes Jersey Number To A Familiar One /
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So far this season, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson has worn jersey number 12.

This, however, will change, beginning with tonight’s contest against the Chicago Bulls.

On Monday, the Cavaliers revealed that Thompson has changed his jersey number by posting a photo of his new number 13 jersey hanging in his locker on social media.

The jersey number was last occupied by former Cleveland point guard Ricky Rubio, who agreed to a contract buyout with the team and retired from the NBA 11 days ago.

But Thompson wearing the number 13, has been a very familiar sight for fans of the Wine and Gold for many years. The 32-year-old played his first nine NBA seasons with the Cavaliers, sporting the jersey number in all 619 regular-season and 78 postseason contests he played in for the team in this span.

Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) dunks in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland won 115-101 / © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

While donning the number for Cleveland, Thompson has averaged 9.4 points, 8.7 rebounds per game during the regular season. He also won four Eastern Conference Championships and the 2016 NBA Championship, the Wine and Gold’s sole NBA Championship in franchise history.

The veteran big man also wore number 13 during his time with the Boston Celtics and Sacramento Kings. 

But 13 and 12 have not been the only jersey numbers that Thompson has worn during his NBA career. He wore number 11 with the Indiana Pacers, number three with the Bulls, and number nine with the Los Angeles Lakers.

But now, Thompson will once again wear the jersey number that not he not only wore during his collegiate career at the University of Texas, but made into a longtime staple for Cleveland.

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Logan Potosky
LOGAN POTOSKY

Logan Potosky is an aspiring play-by-play sports broadcaster who, to date, has called approximately 350+ hours of professional, college, and high school sporting events. He is currently the Play-by-Play Broadcaster for the Lake County Captains, the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. He graduated from John Carroll University in May of 2023 with a degree in Communication, with a concentration in Digital Media, and a minor in Entrepreneurship.

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