Thompson attended Whitney Young High School in Chicago, Illinois, where he won two state championships (2008–09) and was runner-up in 2010 contributing 10 points and 8 rebounds per game during his junior campaign and 17.6 points with a .568 FG percentage and 8.7 rebounds per game as a senior.

[4] After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft, Thompson joined the Minnesota Timberwolves for the Las Vegas Summer League.

[7] On October 31, he was selected by the Grand Rapids Drive with the seventh overall pick in the 2015 NBA Development League Draft.

[11] For the 2019–20 season, Thompson played in Vietnam for the Saigon Heat of the ASEAN Basketball League,[12][13] averaging 20.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

[16] Thompson began the 2022–23 season in Lithuania with BC Gargždai-SC before re-joining the Sioux Falls Skyforce on December 30, 2022.