Ausar And Amen Thompson Reveal LeBron James Was The Reason They Wrote 69 All Over Their Beds

The Thompson twins get real about growing up idolizing LeBron James.

3 Min Read

Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

LeBron James has been in the NBA for so long that players who grew up idolizing him are now his opponents in the league. Entering year 23 in the league, James has seen generations of talent pass through the league. 

It must not be surprising to him anymore that rookies and young players almost every second season talk about how they grew up watching him play and idolizing him as one of the greatest players of all time, if not the greatest.

Twin brothers, Ausar Thompson from the Pistons and Amen Thompson from the Rockets, recently opened up on how they grew up wanting to be like LeBron James. In a sneak peek social media post on a segment of the Old Man and the Three podcast’s latest episode with the Twins, they said they had beds with 69 written all over them because they wanted to be as tall as James. 

“We wanted to be tall, but our parents, my mom’s like 5’6″ and my father is like 5’11”. So we wrote 69 all over the bed because that’s how tall we wanted to be. I think looking back, it looks kind of weird,” said Thompson.

“It is weird, no apostrophe, nothing,” responded his brother. And it was all because they thought LeBron James was 6’9″, so they could manifest being as tall as him.

Now, 13 years after they did that as nine-year-olds, Ausar Thompson is reportedly 6’6″, while Amen Thompson has grown to be 6’7″, which shows that their manifestation nearly came true. As a cherry on the cake for Amen Thompson, NBA scouts have said he resembles a young LeBron James early in his career. 

In 2024-25, Ausar Thompson averaged 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists for the Pistons. Amen Thompson, on the other hand, averaged 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists for the Rockets

Meanwhile, James is still playing at a top-tier level in the league and even made it to the All-NBA Second Team in 2024-25. He averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds in the season. 

James was particularly impressed with Amen Thompson after a game against the Rockets. He also made sure to give Ausar his flowers in the process.  

“They ain’t like the rest of us. I’ve been able to go against some dudes in my career, and those two guys, man, they’re just pure athleticism,” said James on the Thompson twins. 

Ausar Thompson and Amen Thompson became the highest-drafted twins in NBA history when they were picked fifth and fourth overall, respectively, in the 2023 NBA Draft. While the league has seen over 10 sets of twins in its history, these two seem to be the most talented set to join the league.

Newsletter

Stay up to date with our newsletter on the latest news, trends, ranking lists, and evergreen articles

Follow on Google News

Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We appreciate your support.

Share This Article
Chaitanya Dadhwal is an NBA Analyst and Columnist at Fadeaway World from New Delhi, India. He fell in love with basketball in 2018 after seeing James Harden in his prime. He joined the sports journalism world in 2021, one year before finishing his law school in 2022. He attended Jindal Global Law School in Sonipat, India, where his favorite subject was also Sports Law.He transitioned from law to journalism after realizing his true passion for sports and basketball in particular. Even though his journalism is driven by his desire to understand both sides of an argument and give a neutral perspective, he openly admits he is biased towards the Houston Rockets and Arsenal. But that intersection of in-depth analysis and passion helps him simplify the fine print and complex language for his readers.His goal in life is to open his own sports management agency one day and represent athletes. He wants to ensure he can help bridge the gap in equal opportunity for athletes across various sports and different genders playing the same sport.
Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *