Prediction markets are poised to transform how fans engage with professional sports, according to NBA champion Tristan Thompson. He believes real-time odds and fan sentiment will soon become as commonplace on broadcasts as social media integration is today.
Thompson envisions a chart displayed in the corner of television screens that fluctuates “from possession to possession” throughout games lasting just a few hours, rather than the weeks-long timelines of political elections, he told Decrypt. “This is going to happen.”
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Major Sports Leagues Embrace Prediction Markets
The sports industry is already embracing prediction markets through high-profile partnerships, Decrypt reported.
For example, Ultimate Fighting Championship's parent company TKO Group Holdings secured a multiyear agreement with Polymarket earlier this month. The partnership integrates a fan prediction scoreboard into UFC broadcasts, displaying global fan sentiment and fight forecasts as events occur, Decrypt said.
Meanwhile, the NHL became the first major sports league to establish a multiyear partnership with prediction markets last month, partnering with both Polymarket and rival platform Kalshi.
Retail brokerage Robinhood also started allowing customers access to sports-related prediction markets this year.
How Prediction Markets Differ From Traditional Gambling
Prediction markets will drive viewership ratings higher, distinguishing them from traditional gambling sectors, Thompson told Decrypt. The structure of prediction markets allows individuals to exit positions before outcomes are determined, which Thompson said could encourage more attentive viewing.
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“It’s hard to tell how a game is going by just looking at the scoreboard," Thompson said, suggesting that opportunistic exits based on prediction market movements aren’t always reflected in conventional statistics.
Thompson’s Post-NBA Ventures: Basketball.fun and Beyond
Thompson has not officially announced his retirement from the NBA. Now, at 34 years old, Thompson is directing his energy into building Basketball.fun to reimagine how fans, data, and players connect in modern basketball, according to Forbes. The platform is constructed as a fan-powered prediction and data platform where users can support their opinions on players and games with real stakes, creating a live market for player performance and sentiment.
Thompson pushed back against the notion that life after the NBA represents a complete transformation. “It’s still the same journey and grind. The players on the court are different, but now it’s about testing the mind, opening up my brain, and unlocking a pathway I’ve never had to before," he told Forbes.
Many athletes have pursued businesses within cryptocurrency, like Spencer Dinwiddie who tokenized part of his NBA contract, and Steph Curry who launched a past NFT project selling digital sneakers, according to Forbes. Thompson has sought something different, viewing blockchain as the next frontier in financial literacy. "It’s no different than forty years ago when athletes went into banking and investing," he told Forbes, calling it "the next Wall Street.”
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Fans Demand AI-Driven, Personalized Content
Fifty-four percent of fans in a recent survey from the Capgemini Research Institute indicated they are turning to AI-driven platforms rather than traditional search engines to obtain breaking stories and up-to-the-minute statistics.
Nearly 67% of fans surveyed expressed a desire for a hub to view player metrics, social buzz, and team updates.
Customization is the baseline expectation, with 64% of users stating they look to AI to deliver news and highlights tailored to their interests. Additionally, 58% of those surveyed want the ability to replay games with alternative outcomes generated by AI.
TracyAI: Thompson’s Basketball Intelligence Platform
Thompson was recently named Chief Content Officer and Lead Advisor of TracyAI, a basketball-focused artificial intelligence agent he conceived last year and has since developed alongside Virtuals Protocol, an AI agent marketplace, according to media reports.
“Imagine in the palm of your hands having an app or a URL site where you can log in, you can push to talk, and she’s going to verbalize information to you right on the spot,” Thompson told Sports Business Journal. “And she [TracyAI] will have real-time analytics and stats.”
Thompson currently holds four C-suite roles across the web3 and fintech landscape, including chief digital equity officer at decentralized mobile telecommunications network World Mobile, and chief advisory officer at AI-powered medical research platform AxonDAO.
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