Thompson was wearing no. 12 this year as Ricky Rubio still was on the Cavs’ roster.
Effective for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Monday night game against the Chicago Bulls, Tristan Thompson will be back wearing No. 13. The team sent out the following statement on Monday:
Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson will return to jersey number 13, after wearing number 12 in his first 32 games this season. Thompson wore number 13 during his first nine NBA seasons with the Cavaliers (619 games). Thompson is one of seven players in Cavaliers history to wear number 13. Ricky Rubio was the last Cavaliers player to wear number 13.
The team also posted to social media about it, as did Thompson.
Tristan Thompson + No. 13, a match for the history books. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/12dDLL4Bc6
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) January 15, 2024
s the announcement notes, Ricky Rubio was wearing No. 13 for the Cavs prior to the team buying out his deal and Rubio stepping away from the NBA. Rubio ended up wearing No. 13 in the first place after wearing No. 3 in his first season with Cleveland. After he was traded for Caris LeVert (and LeVert took No. 3) and re-signed, Rubio went to No. 13.
Thompson back in No. 13 just feels right. As much as any one number can be one players, No. 13 is his in Cavaliers franchise history. He was with the team for the first nine years of his career and won a title wearing that number. How he got back to it is unfortunate, but it does feel right.