Lyle Thompson (born September 9, 1992) is a Haudenosaunee professional lacrosse player from the Hawk Clan of the Onondaga Nation.

In his junior year he shared the 2014 men's Tewaaraton Award with his older brother Miles.

In the same year, that attack line consisting of those two and their cousin, Ty Thompson, dubbed the Thompson Trio, shattered multiple NCAA Division 1 records, and is widely considered one of the greatest attack lines in college lacrosse history.

As an international player, he won the 2015 and 2019 world box lacrosse medals being named first-team all-world honors in 2015, and won the 2014, 2018 and 2023 bronze world field lacrosse medals, being named first-team all-world honors in 2014.

[9][10][11][12][13][14][15] He is renowned for his extraordinary stick skills, offensive prowess, execution and keen playmaking ability.

[16] The USA men's lacrosse team head coach, John Danowski, stated of Lyle Thompson that "he transcends the sport".

[17] Lyle pioneered backhand play, especially in shooting, also known as the shovel shot, which is the salient component of his signature move, the Deyhaus Dunk.

[18][19][20] Together, the Thompson collective has popularized the traditional Indigenous American style of playing lacrosse, involving a more inspired, freestyle, versatile approach that incorporates a wider variety of stick handling, passing and shooting techniques, previously considered more unorthodox in mainstream codified lacrosse.

[21][22] They have been an inspiration and served as role models to the next generation of lacrosse players, especially within the Indigenous American community.

Among these pursuits are his participation in the #everychildmatters movement and spreading awareness about the atrocities of the residential schools that were designed to indoctrinate Indigenous children into Christian Canadian culture.

Growing up, he and his brothers would spend much of their time playing lacrosse in the backyard, often with their father coaching them for hours.

This was a factor in the amount of time they spent playing backyard lacrosse, as they did not have things like television or video games.

[37] Early in grade school, Lyle would often get into physical altercations with anti-Indigenous students, whom were ignorant of Indigenous people and culture, especially his traditional hair braid.

Paul Rabil stated that Lyle was "the #1 High School recruit in the country...as a sophomore".

[39] Lyle Thompson played for Salmon River High School during his eighth grade year.

This technique was integrated into his style of play, Lyle becoming noted for his "uncanny ability to wield the stick with one hand under immense pressure".

He received first-team Times All-North honors and was named the section’s most valuable player as a freshman.

In his sophomore year, he scored 59 goals 52 assists leading his team to the Class C State Final against Manhasset.

Lyle committed to play for the Albany Great Danes men's lacrosse team under head coach, Scott Marr.

The Thompsons choosing UAlbany over Syracuse University was a landmark decision, stating that they wanted to make their impact on their own.

[52] Initially, he started at midfield in his freshman season in 2012, scoring 22 goals and 16 assists along with 32 face-off draws.

[57][58] In 2017, Paul Rabil stated that Lyle's "legacy of success on the field will live on for generations to come.

The team won the silver medal, falling to Canada (12-8) in the championship finals game.

The team won the silver medal, falling to Canada (19-12) in the championship finals game.

Source:[10] GP–Games played; G–Goals; 2PG–2-point goals; A–Assists; Pts–Points; Sh–Shots; GB–Ground balls; Pen–Penalties; PIM–Penalty minutes; FOW–Faceoffs won; FOA–Faceoffs attempted Source:[10] GP–Games played; G–Goals; 2PG–2-point goals; A–Assists; Pts–Points; Sh–Shots; GB–Ground balls; Pen–Penalties; PIM–Penalty minutes; FOW–Faceoffs won; FOA–Faceoffs attempted The Thompson brothers founded the non-profit philanthropic organization, the 4 The Future Foundation, which aims to help Indigenous and underserved kids grow and thrive.

[71] In the early 2020s, when hundreds of Canadian Indigenous residential school gravesites were found, Lyle Thompson took the initiative to raise awareness about the issue using various methods, such as popularizing the #everychildmatters movement, wearing its specialized orange helmet chinstraps and wearing an orange ribbon in his braid during games.

[73] Lyle Thompson was also present at Dakota Access Pipeline protests in support of the Standing Rock Reservation.

His college lacrosse coach Scott Marr, was also actively advocating for the Standing Rock Reservation.

Lyle has emphasized that he adheres to the Haudenosaunee religious tradition of playing lacrosse primarily to entertain the Creator.