"It's a dream" - Kris Jenner takes credit for introducing Tristan Thompson to new career by hooking him up with ESPN job
Tristan Thompson landed a new contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers heading into the 2023-24 NBA season. Given the fact that Thompson played in exactly zero games last season, many were surprised to see that he secured a deal with the Cavaliers. Prior to that, however, he landed a job with ESPN, thanks, in part, to Kris Jenner.
According to Jenner herself, she pulled strings to get him a job at ESPN, which saw the network request him to start the following Monday. The news, of course, comes on the heels of Thompson's baby mama, Jordan Craig, filing court documents to keep the $40,000 child support payment the same despite a drop in income.
During a recent episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians on Hulu, Jenner spoke about the situation:
“It’s a dream. I mean, the fact that we could have that call on Friday and they said 'Can you start Monday?' That never happens to anyone. ... I was able to reach out to ABC/Disney and really express how talented I thought Tristan was and how they would really benefit from him being a part of the ESPN team."
Tristan Thompson's new contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers
At 32 years old, Tristan Thompson isn't expected to play big minutes and put up big numbers for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since parting ways with the team following the 2019-20 season, Thompson has only played more than 50 games once.
While he was able to help the Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls in recent years since then, his production has remained limited. As such, his new role with the Cavaliers is expected to be more of a leadership role for the young team.
While Thompson will likely play minutes as needed, his locker-room presence will likely be a guiding force for a young Cavaliers team.
As Cavaliers President Koby Altman stated to media members this offseason while announcing Thompson's deal:
“Tristan embodies every trait we want as part of our team culture, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring his experience and character back into our franchise.
"His impact both on and off the court is immeasurable, and his history with our team adds a layer of familiarity, leadership and physicality that will undoubtedly make a positive impact with our younger players."