Are The Thompson Twins The highest-Drafted Brothers In NBA History?
Amen and Ausar Thompson gained a following while competing in Atlanta’s Overtime Elite League, and they now have the opportunity to develop into elite NBA players.
A pair of brothers who went in the top five in the 2023 NBA Draft seized the spotlight early on, but they aren't just any brothers. They are identical twins.
A pair of brothers who went in the top five in the 2023 NBA Draft seized the spotlight early on, but they aren’t just any brothers. They are identical twins, “The Thompson Twins”.
Amen and Ausar Thompson gained a following while competing in Atlanta’s Overtime Elite League, and they now have the opportunity to develop into elite NBA players. Amen was taken by the Houston Rockets with the fourth overall pick on Thursday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, while his brother Ausar was chosen by the Detroit Pistons shortly after.
The Twin Thompsons’ Style Of Play
The Thompsons have taken over as the league’s new standard-bearers in the two-year-old Overtime Elite league, which is open to players between the ages of 16 and 20 and allows them to keep their college eligibility while earning a minimum salary of $100,000. They are the top two selections in the league’s inaugural draft.
Amen has outstanding intellect and ball-handling skills and is a very athletic point guard. The Rockets wanted to bolster their dynamic core with a young lead guard since they are said to be pursuing All-Star James Harden in free agency next month.
Even at 20, Ausar is projected as a top-tier defender and may be an even more excellent athlete. The rebuilding Pistons have another springy, explosive danger in him, even if he may not be a sharpshooter right away.
Are The Thompson Twins The Most Highly Selected Pair?
Amen, and Ausar became the first brothers to be selected in the top 10 in the same draft on Thursday, making NBA history. Despite not being identical twins and being chosen three years apart, Lonzo and LaMelo Ball were both top-three picks. The identical Morris twins, Markieff and Marcus, were selected 13th and 14th in the 2011 draft, respectively.
The Thompson twins’ accomplishment has the closest counterpart in the NHL. The Vancouver Canucks picked Daniel and Henrik Sedin, identical twins, with the second and third choices in 1999. The Canucks entered the draft with the third pick and eventually traded for the second pick.
