Tristan Thompson has officially requested to be named his 17-year-old brother Amari’s sole legal guardian.
Thompson, 32, filed a petition earlier this month to become Amari’s sole legal guardian and conservator, according to Entertainment Tonight. The NBA player noted that he has been unable to locate his and Amari’s father, Trevor Thompson, who was ordered to pay child support when their late mother, Andrea, assumed sole legal guardianship of Amari in 2014.
“Since then, Trevor Douglas Thompson has effectively abandoned the proposed ward; he failed to pay any child support despite the court order and has not been in contact with the proposed ward or Andrea Marie Brooks since July 2014,” read court documents obtained by ET. “He has done nothing to support or raise the proposed ward since then and has relinquished all rights to have any say in the proposed ward’s care.”
Tristan’s request comes after he was previously named Amari’s temporary guardian in September 2023. He filed paperwork to be Amari’s guardian after Andrea died in January 2023 from a heart attack. Amari suffers from epilepsy and as a result requires a devoted caretaker.
Tristan stated in his recent paperwork that he has “not had any contact” with his father since his parents separated.
“My only contact with Trevor Thompson in the past nine years was a brief interaction when he appeared at my mother’s funeral. I have no knowledge of his current or recent whereabouts,” Tristan wrote, noting that he hired legal experts to track down his father. “But they were unable to obtain any information about Trevor’s current location or other relevant details.”
After Andrea’s death, Tristan moved Amari from his native Canada to Los Angeles. Tristan stated in the documents that he wants legal authority to manage Amari’s finances and healthcare.
“If Amari is required to return to Canada there are no relatives there that have the ability or means to support Amari, and he cannot be provided the level of care and support he is receiving in the United States while in my custody,” Tristan stated in his petition. “[I want] to ensure that Amari continues to have a happy and fulfilling life and to provide him with the best care possible.”
One month before his latest court filing, Tristan made headlines when he was suspended without pay for 25 games after he violated the NBA’s anti-drug program. The NBA confirmed on January 23 that Tristan tested positive for performance enhancing drugs Ibutamoren and SARM LGD-4033.
Tristan has not yet publicly addressed his suspension from the Cleveland Cavaliers.