Tristan Thompson becomes a U.S. citizen: "I'm now truly living the American dream"
Canadian-born basketball player Tristan Thompson officially became a United States citizen on Tuesday. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shared a photo of Thompson taking the Oath of Allegiance along with a quote from the NBA player as he was sworn in as a citizen.
"I came to the U.S. on a student visa and have always had big dreams. I'm now truly living the American dream," Thompson said.
“I came to the US on a student visa and have always had big dreams. I’m now truly living the American dream.” Congrats on reaching your goals @RealTristan13! Best of luck with the @NBA #Celtics as a #NewUSCitizen! pic.twitter.com/kr9drxTco7
— USCIS Media - Western Region (@USCISMediaWest) November 24, 2020
Thompson was born in Brampton, Ontario, and moved to the U.S. on a student visa to attend high school. The move helped launch Thompson's basketball career with increased exposure in the U.S. Thompson committed to the University of Texas, where he played for the school for a year before declaring for the NBA draft and becoming the fourth overall pick in 2011. The NBA star began his professional basketball career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he played for nine seasons and helped the team win its first championship in 2016.
The news of Thompson's U.S. citizenship comes after his agent confirmed to Yahoo Sports that the basketball player has signed to a two-year, $19 million deal with the Boston Celtics.