Thompson hits back at Rajakovic after postgame comments
Published
The bad blood between Tristan Thompson and the Raptors continued Thursday with the Canadian taking to social media to call out Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic.
At the end of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ lopsided 131-108 victory over the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena Wednesday night, Thompson called for the ball and dunked on a Raptor defence that appeared to assume the Cavs would dribble out the clock.
Thompson’s slam came with 4.1 seconds remaining and caught the ire of several Raptors, including Scottie Barnes and Jamal Shead, who confronted the Brampton, Ont. native. Thompson and a few Raptors players had to be separated and Rajakovic said after the game Thompson’s actions had “no class.”
"I think what Tristan did there was no class and disrespectful," Rajakovic told reporters. "I'm not going to stand for that, for sure. I love when my team stands up for themselves. That was no class."
Thompson hit back with a post on X Thursday.
“You wanna full court press with under a minute left in the game when you get cracked by 30 this will happen to you. Lose for draft lottery and be happy buddy boy. Hopefully you and most of your guys see the light at the end of Bobby and Masai long term plan. Bless up stay warm in MY CITY,” he wrote referencing a clip of Rajakovic’s post-game remarks.
Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson also seemed confused at Thompson’s dunk, saying he couldn’t explain what went into his veteran centre’s decision.
"I'm not sure what he was thinking," Atkinson said. "Sometimes, though, you're playing the game, and you just have a reaction. I know with Tristan, there's no bad intention there. I think just sometimes you're playing, and the goal of the game is to score. Unfortunate."
Fellow Canadian RJ Barrett wasn’t thrilled with Thompson’s actions either.
"It's kind of an unwritten rule to not do that at the end," Barrett said post-game. "Jamal did what he's supposed to."
Thompson, a 14-year NBA veteran, has represented the Canada several times at the international level and been a Senior Men’s National Team fixture throughout his career.
The 33-year-old is in his second go-around with the Cavs and is averaging 1.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in just under eight minutes per game in 28 appearances this season. He spent his first nine NBA seasons in Cleveland before abbreviated stints with the Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls. He rejoined the Cavaliers in September of 2023.
Cleveland won their 44th game of the season Wednesday night, tying the Oklahoma City Thunder for the most in the NBA.