He spent a 5-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, and registered one minute of court time with the Golden State Warriors in late 1991.

His team reached the semi-finals of the national championship his freshman year, where they lost to the University of Houston.

He is one of only five players to have won an NCAA championship and an NBA championship in back-to-back seasons, the other four being Bill Russell (University of San Francisco 1956, Boston Celtics 1957), Henry Bibby (UCLA 1972, New York Knicks 1973), Earvin Johnson (Michigan State 1979, Los Angeles Lakers 1980), and Christian Braun (Kansas 2022, Denver Nuggets 2023).

[3] After an injury-riddled sophomore season with the Lakers,[2] he was then left unprotected in the 1988 NBA expansion draft and was selected by the Miami Heat, where he was a starter for the Heat's inaugural game and averaged 10.8 points per game in Miami's expansion season.

Thompson is a born-again Christian and presently pastors Jesus People Proclaim Int'l Church in Deerfield Beach, Florida with his wife of 30 years, Cynthia.