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Bitcoin is more than just a financial asset, according to NBA free agent Tristan Thompson.

“Bitcoin isn’t just an asset.. it’s a statement,” Thompson said on X last week. “You either own your money, or someone else does. Simple as that.”

It is not the first time Thompson has framed Bitcoin as a tool for self-sovereignty. He told cryptocurrency news outlet Cointelegraph in May that he saw Bitcoin as a “form of financial freedom.” Separately, he told cryptocurrency news outlet Decrypt at the conference that his journey into the cryptocurrency space was about empowering himself and taking control of his finances.

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Thompson has become a vocal advocate of Bitcoin over the past two years, citing a need to educate young athletes and minorities about the digital asset. He often talks about turning down a friend’s suggestion to invest $10,000 in the asset in 2015. He has also said he regrets not investing some of his $82 million contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers into Bitcoin, which he says could have made him a billionaire.

Still, Thompson has suggested it is not too late for people to get into Bitcoin, even as the asset trades over $100,000.

“I truly believe that there’s going to be a point in time where Bitcoin will be a million dollars,” he told Cointelegraph in May at Bitcoin Conference 2025, echoing the prediction of several leading Bitcoin proponents.

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“It’s like buying Apple stock back in the 90s, or buying Amazon back in the early 2000s, it’s only gonna grow,” he added.

However, Thompson is far from a Bitcoin maximalist.

“Bitcoin is Michael Jordan, LeBron James is Ethereum, Solana is Stephen Curry, and XRP is Kevin Durant,” he told Decrypt in May, comparing leading cryptocurrencies to the NBA legends.

Beyond advocating for investment in cryptocurrencies, Thompson is also building on the blockchain. In September, he announced that he was working on an on-chain fantasy basketball project called basketball.fun.

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